Tangled
by Jemima123
Summary: "You're as messed up as I am," he informed her. "We have Schmidt to thank for that, do we?" she checked and Erik raised his own glass of water. "We can toast to that." Erik/OC/Charles
1. Chapter 1

"Monsieur Lensherr?" those were the first words that came from her lips and she never knew how much of an impact they would make. Erik Lensherr remained seated for a second, adjusting the tie on his grey designer suit before he stood up and nodded sternly at her. His lips were pursed as the little blonde led him through the marbled floors of the bank. He listened to her heels click against the ground and could not help himself from admiring the view which her tight grey pencil skirt was giving him. She slowed down to walk beside him as he noted large white doors come into view.

"Il vous voir à travers eux les portes doubles, mon nom est Annalise si vous avez besoinquelque chose de plus une fois que vous le laisser." Annalise spoke to Erik, her voice full of routine and boredom as she told him where he would find the manager and if he needed help after his meeting by giving him her name.

"Merci," he replied. She looked up to his face for a momentary glance whilst he stared straight ahead. She said nothing in return to him and instead looked down at the leather bound diary which she was holding in her hands and pushed the door open, stepping inside and looking at the man who sat in the chair behind his mahogany desk.

"Monsieur Lensherr," she introduced Erik as he stepped into the room, his face still stern looking. Annalise observed him as he walked over to the seat opposite the manager. He had his hands clenched into fists and the briefcase he was holding was tightly to him, as if he was scared to part with it.

"Merci Annalise, vous pouvez aller," and Annalise was dismissed. Normal routine would have suggested that she should go back to the desk in the reception. She should have continued working on the stacks of paperwork which sat there and needed to be completed. That is what a normal employee should have done and it was what she had been doing for the past several months. But there was something about Erik which she knew was not right. Annalise looked behind her after hearing the footsteps of people but they went by without noticing her. Sighing once and pushing her blonde hair to behind her shoulders she remained stood by the door, pretending to busy herself with the diary as people continued to pass her by. She shook her head at the thought which embedded itself into her mind. She had sworn never to use what she had. She knew the trouble which it had caused and she could not risk it again. She simply wanted a normal life and because of what she was made it impossible. After five minutes Annalise heard something from the room. The pitch of the noise was quite distinct from their previous talking which had been mumbles, incoherent to understand if you shall. This sounded like someone was in pain. With a moment's hesitation, Annalise turned the handle of the large plush office door and moved into the room, her eyes going wide with what she saw.

"Excusez-moi," she spoke out loud and clearly and then she saw it. She saw metal move from the manager's mouth and into Erik's hand. She had been right about her instinct. There was something different about him. Erik turned his attention to the secretary, his blue eyes which were once calm now narrowed into rage. He raised his hand quickly but Annalise was faster.

"Je ne ferais pas que si je vous," she warned him off of his thoughts and he raised a brow. She had managed to speak without opening her lips. Erik's eyes turned from those of rage into curiosity as the blonde stood before him, the diary cradled in her hands and her eyes trying to challenge the intensity of his but they were no match. "Vous devirez aller avant qu'il appelle la police."

Annalise told him to leave silently before the police arrived and Erik gave her a smug grin, his mouth falling open for a moment in a gasp at the shock of what he was hearing. He replied back to her in his thoughts, not wanting to know the manager to know they were having a conversation which did not involve him.

"Il n'oserait pas," Erik replied mutely, telling her that he would not dare call for the police. Annalise shook her head at him once, the curls on top of her head moving over her shoulder as she did so.

"Mais je voudrais," she promised him, informing him that she would call the police. Erik shook his head, moving out of the room, his shoulder brushing past Annalise's as she turned and watched him leave.

"Etes'vous bien?" she asked the manager, checking that Erik had not done permanent damage to him as she walked over to his desk. He nodded quickly, raising a hand with his palm outwards as his other hand probed into his mouth, looking at where the filling had been taken from. Annalise looked at him until something shining caught her eye. The desk which was normally full of dull white paperwork with black writing on it was present. But in the midst of all that there was a large piece of gold.

"Depuis quand avons-nous accepte que?" she snapped at the wounded man, her voice an octave higher than before as she asked him since when did they accept Nazi gold.

"Il n'en est pas de votre preoccupation," he huffed back at her, reminding her that it was not in her place to ask questions which did not concern her. Annalise glared at the man, dropping the leather bound diary onto his desk which caused a large thud and snapped him out of the daze he was in as he slowly withdrew his hand from his mouth.

"Je prends aujourd'hui au," she spoke and turned on her heel, allowing the manager to shake his head, yelling at her and telling her she could not take the day off or she would be fired. Annalise sighed slightly at hearing his threat and paused momentarily at the door. But she continued to walk out of the bank.

...

"Si ce n'est pas l'espirit assez pue de lecture blonde," Erik drawled. He stood at the door to his apartment in his robe as Annalise stood on the hallway to his apartment. She had her brown Mac coat wrapped around her body tightly, tied up by a long length at her waist which showed how slim she was.

"We can speak in French or English," Annalise informed him. "Whichever you would prefer."

Erik raised a brow, a hand resting on his door as he held it open and he crossed his legs over, a smirk unable to resist playing on his features.

"In that case we shall have a change and go for English," he told her, his voice deep as she looked up to him. "You have me at a disadvantage Mademoiselle. You can read my thoughts but I know nothing about you."

"I wouldn't say it is a disadvantage. I would just say it is unlucky," she replied, her thick French accent coming through as she spoke to him. "Where did you get that Gold from?"

"The gold?" Erik asked her, moving back from the door and allowing Annalise to enter. She did so hesitantly, pushing the door shut gently behind her as she looked around his simple room which contained a large bed, two chairs and a desk. "So you don't want to know how I managed to rip his filling out?"

"I'm a mind reader Monsieur Lensherr," she told him. "A telepath I prefer. I know how you did it. You can make metal do anything to your own will. I have to say that I have yet to see anything like that."

"Excuse me?" Erik replied, a coin moving through his fingers as Annalise observed the notion he was making. "What do you mean you have not seen anything like that?"

"Ah," Annalise said, divulging into his mind. "You didn't think there was anyone else like you, did you?"

"I had my doubts," he admitted, the coin falling to the desk with a clatter whilst Erik picked up his clear glass of water. He pressed it to his lips softly, his eyes never leaving the blonde who was moving around his room. She stopped by the window, looking onto the view of Geneva which he obtained through the glass of the apartment.

"So you are here because of the Gold?" he checked, gently placing the cup back onto his desk as Annalise turned back around, her arms folded as she nodded.

"There should be none of that Gold left. It is illegal Monsieur Lensherr."

"I am aware."

"Then you shall do well to tell me where it came from."

"If I told you that then I may have to kill you," he teased her and she rolled her eyes.

"I would like to see you try," she replied. "I want an answer."

"A friend," he spoke. "He recommended the bank which you worked in quite highly. Besides, the Gold was of no interest to me."

"Then what was?" Annalise asked.

"You're an inquisitive creature," he murmured, placing a piece of hair back onto his head from where it had fallen from. "Why are you really here?"

"I'm here about the Gold," she lied to him and Erik shook his head, looking at her face as her cheeks turned a slight red. He walked over to her, his hand outstretched as a locket lifted up from her chest. It had been resting on her cream blouse as it rose into the air. Erik grasped onto it, stepping a foot away from her. She remained silent, her breathing deep. She had seen how powerful he was. She had seen how he could turn in an instant. Erik pressed down onto the button on top of the locket and it popped open. He looked into the metal at the black and white photo which sat there and Annalise closed her eyes.

"You saw what he did to me when you looked into my mind," Erik whispered at her. "You saw what he did to my mother."

"I want him just as much as you do," she murmured back and Erik closed the locket and dropped it back against her clothes.

"What happened?" Erik enquired simply and she moved closer to the window again, looking onto the scenery, not able to face Erik as she told him.

"He murdered my mother. She protested about giving me to him...I take it you remember the office?" she checked with Erik.

"How can I forget?" he complained to her and she managed a small chuckle. A twisted sound which moved past her lips.

"She told him that she would rather see herself dead then have me used as his experiment...and I suppose he took her words literally and killed her then and there," Annalise replied in a small voice. "I was eight...I didn't understand what was happening..."

"I never saw you there," Erik informed her, pouring her a glass of water from the pitcher he had in his room.

"He channelled my powers...he...he never hurt me though Erik. That was the strange part. He just told me how to use what I had...I can't understand it. You went through pain and I never did..."

"He never took you into that room?" he whispered and she shook her head and took the water which he was offering her.

"He killed my mother. Revenge is all I have ever wanted," she assured him. "I just didn't know how to get it."

"And you think I am the answer?" Erik checked with her.

"I fail to care if you want to help me or not Monsieur Lensherr," she said, taking on the prude and uptight secretarial role he had seen when he first met her. "I can just read your mind and find out for myself. Don't think I wouldn't do that. This means too much to me."

Erik remained quiet, watching as she drank the water which he had given to her and his eyes narrowed, his hand pulling his robe tightly against his body as she sipped on the water, her eyes never leaving his.

"You're as messed up as I am," he informed her.

"We have Schmidt to thank for that, do we?" she checked and Erik raised his own glass of water.

"We can toast to that," he promised her and she managed a small smile at him and walked over to his desk, looking up at where he had pictures and strings moving from each other. It was like a spider's web. And Erik was tangled right inside of it.

"All of my tormentors," he explained to her. "Everyone who has hurt me in the past or who hurt my mother...they're all there."

"But Schmidt is the last one, isn't he?"

"Of course," Erik nodded at her. "Your full name may be useful Mademoiselle. I have tickets to book for a flight to Argentina soon and it seems your intent on coming with me."

"You don't mind me coming?" she checked with him and he shrugged.

"As long as you don't get in my way and annoy me then there won't be a problem and besides, you seem hell bent on coming along regardless of if I invite you or not," he told her and she nodded at him once again.

"Two minds are obviously better than one."

"Especially when one mind can read other people's thoughts."

...

A/N: Reviews are good! Give me encouragement! I have so many ideas for how this is going to go so let me know what you think! Please!


	2. Chapter 2

"This is certainly an interesting place," Erik spoke his mind as he stood in the doorway of Annalise's bedroom in her apartment, his eyes moving around it with curiosity. He failed to believe that he had just met this girl and already he was allowing her on his own vendetta against Schmidt. Erik worked alone. That was the way he liked it and it was the way it had always been until that moment. He didn't know what it was about Annalise but there was something which made him think that she needed revenge as much as he did.

"The salary at the bank isn't that bad," she shrugged, screwing up another blouse and dropping it into a small bag with haste. She looked around the bedroom; wondering what else she would be in need of.

"I do have a question," Erik admitted, folding his arms and crumpling his leather jacket as he did so in the process. "You have been working at the bank for the last couple of years, correct?"

"Two years and four months," Annalise corrected him. "It's not like I'm counting," she grinned and Erik remained tight lipped.

"How have you not found Schmidt before? His details were right in your clutches and you never managed to find him."

"I don't know," Annalise admitted in a small whisper. "I've seen a lot of files with people's names on them. His name never came up...and how did you know to go to the bank?"

"I have my sources," Erik simply stated, not wanting to divulge into anything more than that as he looked at the clock on her bedside table. "We need to be going."

"I'm done," she spoke, zipping up the bag and hanging it onto her shoulder before picking up her patent black shoulder bag, dangling it on the crook of her arm whilst Erik raised a brow.

"Are you planning on going with all of that?" he checked with her and she nodded once.

"I'm not a male," she huffed, her French accent seeming more apparent when she was in some form of mood. "I cannot simply carry everything which I have in my pockets."

"Bloody hell," Erik complained, holding his hand out to her. "Give me your bag."

"I can manage," she snapped back, moving past him into the living area of her apartment before opening the door and looking at Erik. "Come on then."

"I didn't realise you were this bossy," he muttered, swiftly moving past her with his case by his side as he glowered into her eyes and she rolled her own blue ones.

"I'm not," she denied.

"And you're stubborn too."

"Fine," Annalise replied, shutting the door to the apartment quickly and moving the bag from her shoulder, throwing it towards Erik. "You can carry my bag, d'accord?"

"Whatever," he muttered, placing it onto his shoulder whilst Annalise fumbled around in her bag, placing her keys into a safe compartment and zipping the designer merchandise back up quickly and holding it on her arm before following Erik down the hall of the apartment, stopping at the elevator as he adjusted the strap to her bag on his arm.

"What do you have in here?" he complained.

"If you can't manage it then I'll carry it," she told him quickly and he shook his head, moving his body back from her sudden outstretched hand as she tried to take the bag back.

"I didn't say that, did I?" he replied to her, stepping into the elevator. Annalise followed him, the pair of them remaining quiet on the ride down and then on the walk out to the street.

"I bet we can't find a taxi," Erik complained and Annalise shook her head.

"Do you want to know what else I can do?" she asked him, her voice a small whisper as she stood close to Erik.

"And what is that?"

"Control minds," she muttered quickly back to him and before he had a chance to ask her anything further a car pulled up at the side of the road and Erik grinned lightly.

"You certainly do have an interesting talent," he said to her, opening the door and holding it open for her to go into and she shrugged lightly.

"I wouldn't disagree."

...

"Well," Annalise said, dropping her bag onto the bed in the motel which the two of them had rented for the night, "it is certainly warm here in Argentina."

"Stop complaining," Erik told her, his voice low and in a mutter. The entire journey had been tiring and Erik hadn't managed to sleep. Annalise on the other hand fell asleep in every vehicle which they travelled in. Apparently she was a deep sleeper.

"I was just stating a fact," she replied quickly, opening up the bag which she kept full of clothes and looking for another outfit to change into, feeling warm and needing to change after the really long journey. "What are you doing anyway?"

"Finding out where Schmidt will be," Erik replied, drawing out a map from his bag and resting it on the chipped desk which the motel room provided. Annalise remained quiet, allowing him to go about his work before she moved into the bathroom, carrying her change of outfit and toiletry bag as she closed the door. Erik registered the shutting of the door and glanced over at it before he went back to his map, pinpointing the exact location of where the manager had told him Schmidt was. Erik allowed the map to stay on the desk and he then looked at the bed, unable to resist its temptation.

"I have to tell you that you did not think the sleeping arrangement through," Annalise told Erik as she moved back out of the bathroom. The metal bender was laid on top of the bed already, his hands clasped together and resting on his stomach, his eyes shut tightly and his mouth parted gently.

"What are you talking about?" he asked her, wanting to do nothing more than go to sleep.

"Monsieur Lensherr," she complained, "I did believe it was obvious."

"You know you can call me Erik," he told her. "And there is a sofa if you're that uptight," he muttered with his eyes still closed. There was silence for a moment before Erik felt a pillow hit his head.

"I shall take the right hand side," she told him. "It is my preferred side and so you need to move."

"Fine," Erik said, his eyes opening as he moved with the pillow on his lap. He looked at the secretary who wore a simple white nightgown as she pushed the covers to her side of the bed back and climbed into their softness and the engulfing mattress.

"How long have you been looking for him?" she suddenly asked whilst Erik remained still. She was rolled onto her side, looking at the wall which paint was peeling from and Erik managed to close his eyes once again.

"Eighteen years," he told her simply.

"How have you survived all these years?"

"Money is not an issue when you're a mutant," he told her, remaining vague. "Schmidt is all I want. He has been like smoke to try and catch."

Annalise remained silent, her eyes closed and one hand stuffed under the white pillow of the bed before she wondered what to say back to Erik. She decided that conversation was nothing desired by either of them at that moment in time.

"Goodnight Erik," she muttered his name.

Erik remained quiet before feeling on the bedside table for the lamp to turn the light off. He couldn't be bothered to change out of his clothes as his limbs suddenly felt heavy and he was too tired to do anything further apart from whisper back to her;

"Goodnight Annalise."

...

"Do I pick on your fashion sense?" Annalise snapped at Erik as he walked down the green grass from the main road where the pair of them had managed to be dropped off. Erik rolled his eyes, shrugging out of his jacket and holding it over his shoulder as the secretary huffed at him.

"I am not picking on your fashion sense. I am picking on your choice of clothes for the day. You're not working at the bank now," he snapped back at her and Annalise crossed her arms as she walked beside him down the hill, stumbling to keep up.

"You are forgetting I control minds," she reminded him. "Unlike you I have never needed to make a quick escape and I doubt I will need to when we reach this bar where we are going."

"Whatever," Erik replied, not being bothered to argue with her. "If you trip in them heels then don't come crying to me because I will say that I told you so."

"I can always make you not say that," she promised him and he chuckled at her. She moved her patent black bag to rest onto her shoulder. She wore a tight grey dress and her hair was scraped back into a ponytail as she held herself proudly walking beside Erik.

"We need a reason as to why we are going into the bar," Annalise told Erik as the building came into sight. It looked like something picturesque; somewhere you could easily spend time at.

"Well I normally go into a bar for a drink," he told her dryly, the sarcasm rolling off his tongue with fluency. "I don't know why you would go into a bar."

"Tres drole," she replied in bored French; expressing how funny she thought Erik was with sarcasm equal in her voice. "I was meaning that we need to cooperate our stories. They may ask us how we know each other."

"You can have the privilege of being my fiancé," he shrugged. "Brother and sister wouldn't work...nothing about us is alike."

"Oui," she agreed with him.

"How many of them are there?" he enquired, nodding towards the building as they approached it. Annalise closed her eyes for a moment, looking inside and then she turned her stare up to Erik.

"Three of them," she informed him. "They're German too...I don't even speak German."

"Luckily for you I do," he told her. "Just sit there and look pretty," he winked at her and she rolled her eyes, moving with Erik into the bar after he had draped his jacket over her shoulders. He held the door open for her and placed his hand onto the small of her back, guiding her into the bar. Her heels clicked on the wooden floor and her black bag dropped down to the crook of her arm once again as Erik sat down on a bar stool. Annalise remained silent, watching as Erik ordered her a cola and he was then presented with a beer himself. Annalise moved into Erik's head, her eyes looking between the men as she translated everything into English from his mind.

'_German Beer' Erik stated_

'_Of course' Annalise huffed. _Erik looked to her, his eyes narrowed, wondering what she was doing in his head.

'_It is the best, is it not?' _the German man asked and Erik raised his glass upwards, toasting him.

'_It is.'_

'_So tell us, who is this beautiful woman you travel with? She looks like a lost person from the town,' _The plump German asked, his head nodding over to Annalise who remained in Erik's head, pretending she did not know anything which was happening.

'_My fiancée. She is French...doesn't speak any German and you are right. She is from the city. Paris to be correct. A few miles from Dusseldorf where I live.'_

'_I used to live in Dusseldorf as a tailor and he used to be a pig farmer," _The quiet German man spoke and Annalise felt Erik's head become one filled of rage. His glass was tense in his hand and he pressed it to his lips, sipping the alcohol down in a few gulps as he stood up and walked over to join the men.

'_Calm down Erik," Annalise spoke into his mind. _He didn't look back at her, his eyes remained firm on the men at the table as she took a sip of the cola.

'_What were your parent's names?' _

'_They didn't have names. It was taken from them by tailors and pig farmers.' _Erik exaggerated the two professions by raising his glass to the two men. Annalise felt the atmosphere turn dark as the three men at the wooden table fell into a slumber. She remained sat on the bar stool, her eyes fixed onto Erik as she looked into the man behind the bar's thoughts.

'_Drop the gun on the bar,' _She controlled him and he did as she had asked. As soon as it fell Erik made his move, pulling the knife which the portly man had produced from his grasp, looking at the blade as Annalise picked up the gun which had been dropped.

'_Blood and Honour? Which one would you like to shed first?'_

'_We were under orders.'_

'_Blood then.'_

Without warning Erik slammed the dagger into the man's hand, the skin tearing and the table cracking under its force. The man across from the table stood up, producing his own gun as he backed away from the table. Erik noted his move, bringing the dagger from the man's hand and flying it across into the tailor's stomach. The man who had been behind the bar emerged from it, advancing to Annalise who had the gun in her hand. She jumped down from the bar stool, almost tripping over her bag by the feet of the seat and she tried to clear her mind to control the man who was making his way to her.

'_Stupid bitch' _he spoke in German, his hand raised as his palm came into contact with her cheek. She dropped the gun as she grabbed onto the bar for leverage and it clattered onto the floor. The man began to bend down, trying to place it into his grasp but Erik was quicker. He lifted it up from the ground and it flew into his hand. Without a moment's hesitation he fired a shot at the man who had hit Annalise and he tumbled to the ground. The blonde quickly jumped back as his body moved by her feet, blood seeping out of him.

'_What are you?' _

The remaining man's question rung in Erik's ears as he looked at the picture which hung on the wall, his eyes glaring into his tormentor's.

"Let's just say I'm Frankenstein's monster," he drawled. "And I'm looking for my creator."

And then he fired his final shot. The noise rang around the bar as the man fell from his seat on the bench and Erik looked at the three corpses.

"Oh mon dieu," Annalise said and Erik chuckled. She had said 'Oh my God.' God didn't play any part in this. It was all Erik. "This is a massacre!"

"They had it coming," he told her simply as she checked the pulse on one man's neck, her fingers coming into contact with cold skin. She recoiled from the cold and stood up quickly, moving away from the bar as the smell of blood entered her nostrils. "I warned you that this could be dangerous."

"I know," Annalise snapped back quickly. "I know...and I know they would have killed you...can we just go?"

"I'm not planning on sticking around," he replied, pushing his brown hair back into place.

"The smell is disgusting," she complained, her nose wrinkling as Erik walked to the door of the bar, pushing it open quickly as Annalise hopped through it, handing him the jacket which she had been looking after. He took it from her, flinging it over his shoulder as the pair of them began to move back along the green grass.

"So where is he?" she asked him.

"Miami," he said simply. "He has a boat there."

"When do we go?"

"As soon as possible," Erik told her simply. "We shall go and collect our things from the motel and then leave. The longer we wait then the quicker he gets way."

"Agreed," Annalise nodded once.

"Are you okay?" he suddenly asked out of the blue and she looked at him as he stared down at her. "He hit you Annalise."

"Oh," she suddenly remembered, her hand resting on her own cheek. "Oui...I'm fine...yes...I didn't really feel it."

"Good," Erik spoke once. "You're shaking."

"Well after spending the last two years in a bank then you don't see that sort of scene Monsieur Lensherr."

"Don't forget the four months," he added on and she chuckled once. "Do you want to sit down for a moment? You're no use when you're in shock."

"Merci," she replied in a chuckle. "I'm fine...Schmidt isn't resting, is he? So we can't."

"You're right," he agreed. "But my mother always taught me to be polite."

"She raised you well then," Annalise said.

"I'd like to think so," he replied in a whisper. "You're still shaking...just sit down for a moment would you? I don't want to put up with your nerves...I shouldn't have brought you here..."

"No," Annalise said quickly, falling onto the grass, her grey skirt moving above her knees as she buried her head into her hands. "I'm fine...just give me a moment...it was the smell of the bar...the blood..."

"It is fine," Erik replied, slightly agitated as he saw her bow her head. "I personally think you've only stopped because you can't keep up in those ridiculous shoes." He tried to lighten the mood, seeing her sombre face and she looked up at Erik, managing a small grin.

"Oh shut up," she complained, standing up again and straightening herself out as Erik congratulated himself in his head. Annalise began to walk ahead, proving she could keep up as Erik remained still for a second, his face spreading with a large grin before he saw her turn around and look back at him.

"And you can stop looking at my behind," she replied and he looked to the ground, a smirk in place as he ran to catch up with her, falling into step by her side.

"This is why you shouldn't be allowed into people's minds," he informed her.

"Or you could keep your thoughts low, Monsieur Lensherr," she replied as he dropped his jacket back onto her shoulders in the cool breeze. He stuffed his hands into his brown pants pocket and shrugged once.

"You knew what you were letting yourself in for Mademoiselle Dubois."

...

A/N: Thank you to my four reviewers yesterday! Also thank you to anyone who is reading and please do leave me a review! They are encouraging and help me to update!


	3. Chapter 3

"I'm serious Erik," Annalise warned the metal bender as he stood in the hotel room, two bags clutched in his hands as the French girl stood by the bed, moving clothes around in her large zip up bags. He looked at her, his eyes wide and his brows rose as she remained fixated on her bag. "I cannot wear one of those things."

"Why can you not?" Erik snapped back at her. "Schmidt is on the Caspartina. Annalise, this may be the last chance."

"I am aware," she nodded quickly. "And I would like nothing more than to join you and kill him but I cannot."

"Why can you not?" he snapped again at her before dropping the bags onto the floor. The wetsuits from the bag fell onto the ground and Annalise bit her bottom lip, managing to look at Erik through her lashes before her gaze fell back onto her bag.

"I can't swim," she muttered and Erik folded his arms, raising a brow at her.

"What?"

"I said I can't swim," she said louder and Erik nodded once at her.

"It is really easy," he promised and she shook her head quickly at him.

"I am not diving into water. I shall find another way to get onto the boat," she promised and he rolled his eyes once, grabbing onto his wetsuit as Annalise picked out a skirt from her bag, holding it up and looking at it.

"Well I'm going to change," Erik huffed, walking into the bathroom of the hotel which they had rented. "I suggest you do the same and hurry up."

"Oui," she snapped at him as he shut the door to the small en-suite.

...

"He's on the boat," Annalise whispered to Erik as she stood next to him in the harbour. The two of them saw flames coming from the vessel from a small fire but they could not see anything further. Erik wore the tight fitting suit whilst Annalise was crouched behind the wall, her mini skirt on her figure along with her turquoise blouse she had pushed into its hemline. "I can sense his mind but I daren't read into it Erik. He might know it is me."

"It doesn't matter," Erik promised her, his hands were holding onto her elbows as they crouched behind the wall. "You can manage to get onto the boat when I'm there, can't you?"

"Don't worry about me," she whispered back. "I can try to control him but he might be too strong for me Erik."

"You'll be fine Annalise," Erik muttered. "It will be fine."

"Okay," she nodded back to Erik. "You should go if that is how you want to sneak up on him."

"As soon as I am on the boat then I shall hopefully be able to use my power and drag the metal from the boat which you shall be waiting on. That way you don't have to use the engine on the boat and we won't make a noise."

"Okay," Annalise nodded once. "We should go, oui?"

"Yeah," Erik agreed. The two of them moved down the waterside, silently walking until Erik came to the edge of the small little harbour. The night time made it almost impossible for them to see anything other than the light from the yacht and the light from the shore. Erik nodded at her once and then quickly jumped into the water, his body disappearing from sight. Annalise gulped once, looking at the small boat resting on the calm waters before she climbed into it, watching through Erik's mind as he swam to the side of the boat. Before she knew it he was dragging the small transport along. Annalise grabbed onto both sides of the boat, the object wobbling slightly due to the force of Erik's powers. As soon as she neared the side she saw him stood on the deck, bent down by the steps on the side. With haste she climbed onto the metal steps, climbing up them and then joining Erik by his side. He nodded at her once before he walked around the boat. Annalise walked behind him, wondering what she was going to come to face with.

"Herr Doktor," Erik's voice suddenly rang out and Annalise noted the dagger by the side of his hands.

"Erik Lensherr," his deep voice rang out into the darkness. Annalise took a step closer to Erik, her body close to his for comfort. He was there. Schmidt was in front of both of them. The man who had killed their only family was there for the taking. "Et ma belle Annalise."

Annalise heard him speak to her in French and her eyes looked into his, a smile played on his face as she resisted the urge to gag.

"They want to kill you," the blonde suddenly spoke up. Her place was by Schmidt as Annalise saw another man with long hair to his other side but he was simply looking onto the sight. Annalise felt the blonde try to enter her mind but she blocked her out quickly, not wanting her in her thoughts. And then she saw Erik double over in pain.

"Erik," Annalise worried. "Leave him alone!"

"Do as she says," Schmidt demanded from the telepath and she released Erik's thought before shifting into diamond form as she saw Erik throw the dagger towards Schmidt's form but she intercepted it quickly in the air. Erik advanced towards her, his fist clenched and his jaw tensed. But she was too quick for him. She took in all of the moves which he was going to make and used his technique against him, pushing him backwards until he fell over the side of the railing, collapsing into the water. Annalise remained stood still, not knowing what to do at that moment.

"Anna...you don't really want to kill me, do you?" Schmidt asked her, his voice low as he moved towards her. She backed away from him, shaking as she did so. She wanted nothing more than to see him dead. But she wanted Erik with her.

"I would like nothing more," she admitted to him. "You killed my mother."

"I am sorry," he said, not sounding sorry about anything as he smiled weakly at her. "But do you really want to kill your own father?"

Annalise remained quiet, her features turning pale as she looked at Schmidt. The grin on his face wasn't disappearing as he looked at her, his eyes searching her face for any trace of emotion but he couldn't find any for a moment or two. She began to shake her head, her voice trembling as she spoke back to him;

"Shut up," she demanded. "C'est stupide."

"Mais c'est vrai," he promised her it was the truth. "Your mother wouldn't give you to me Annalise. I needed to see if you were like me and she prevented me from doing that...why do you think I took care of you ma cherie?"

"Non," she snapped back at him. "Non...non..."

"You can try to deny it all you want my darling," he whispered. "You can read my thoughts and find out that it is the truth...now that you're here I can teach you more...I can show you how to channel your mind..."

"Je prefere mourir," she expressed her wish to rather die than to join him.

"Ce serait une bonne amie des dechets," he whispered back to her, telling her that her death would be a terrible waste. Before their conversation could continue there was the sound of a large horn and then the declaration of the coastguard moving onto the vessel.

"Riptide," Shaw commanded.

'_Annalise...if you can hear me...jump of that boat right now!'_ Erik's voice suddenly yelled into her head and she looked out into the water._ 'Get off the boat Annalise!"_

The blonde looked back at Schmidt whose gaze was still on her and she rushed to the railing of the boat, clambering ungracefully onto it and then looking down into the water. Shaking her head and swearing in her mind she then plummeted into the sea. She kicked and splashed with haste, spluttering water from her mouth as she saw a large anchor rise into the air quickly and she looked to the side where Erik was floating, his hands outstretched in front of him. Annalise tried to quickly move over to him, the water kicking behind her but she made no progress against the tide.

"Erik!" she shouted out to him but he didn't hear her. She choked on the water, turning to her telepathy instead and shouting at him which received more attention. He turned his head to her as he continued his fight with the anchor and the yacht. He took in how she was struggling to keep up with the current and he moved his hand. Annalise wondered what he was doing at first but she suddenly felt her body travelling through the water quickly and then she realised Erik was pulling her along by the metal on her belt.

"Hold on," Erik told her as she neared him. Her arms wrapped around his neck as she continued to tread water and his free arm moved to her waist, grasping tightly as he saw something emerge from the bottom of the boat.

"He has a submarine," Annalise told him quickly, spiting water out from her mouth as Erik moved her arms told hold onto him around his waist as he used both hands to grab onto the submarine.

"Don't let go," Erik demanded Annalise as he sped through the water, his body acting like a magnet to the submarine. Annalise tried not to choke on the force of the liquid entering her nostrils but she felt sick with worry and fear as Erik refused to let go. Before she knew it they were underwater, the submarine escaping from Erik's grasp.

'_Erik...you need to let go...please...' _She begged him in her head and he shook his head, stubbornness taking over him. _'He's gone Erik...you can't get him now...we'll drown if you keep this up and then we will have nothing...please...Erik...please.'_

Erik listened to her pleas in his head and he took them into account. But he became even more concerned as another voice entered his head as he floated back up to the surface.

"Who are you?" Annalise snapped as her head bobbed above the water. Erik noted she was looking at the same man who had been in his thoughts and now both of their attentions were on him.

"Charles Xavier," he greeted them.

"You're a telepath," Annalise spat as Charles began to swim back to the vessel.

Erik silently grabbed onto Annalise's hand, pulling her closer towards him in the cold water as he moved out his hand, gently towing the pair of them to the US coastguard boat whilst Charles reached the ladders with ease, hauling himself onto them. Erik allowed the blonde to go in front of him as her heavy, wet clothes dragged her down. Her limbs were tired and her head ached as she dropped onto deck, collapsing into a heap on the ground, coughing out the water she had in her mouth. Charles was on his knees opposite her before they saw Erik drop down onto the wooden deck, settling next to Annalise. He looked at the way her wet skirt clung to her and she had lost her shoes in the sea. The blouse was see-through against her body as she brought her arms across her chest, trying not to show off the bra she wore.

"Can we get a blanket?" Erik snapped at a crew member who was stood and just watching them. He scarpered off quickly, leaving the three mutants for a moment before blankets were returned. Erik snatched one from his hold, placing it around her shoulders.

"Thanks," she whispered up to him and his hands moved up and down her shoulders to keep her warm.

"I cannot say how nice it is to meet a fellow telepath," Charles told her, his own blanket around his body.

"Oui," she replied simply, not having the energy to say anything further.

'_I need you to stay out of my head Professor,' _she warned him and he raised a brow at her in wonder.

'_I've seen into your mind my dear...I know the conversation which has just taken place...it was at the front of your mind.'_

'_It still is. But you need to be quiet...he can't know...I can't tell him...then he would want me dead as much as he does Schmidt.'_


	4. Chapter 4

"You're awfully quiet," Erik commented when they returned to their hotel room. Charles had pleaded with the pair of them to join him at Division X, a CIA base where he said they could be something like the new mutant decision. Annalise didn't like the sound of it and she knew that Erik didn't either. He didn't want to work with the humans but if it meant getting closer to Schmidt then he was willing to go and see what they had to offer. He was a man possessed.

"I'm thinking," Annalise replied flatly, packing her case once again. She had showered quickly and dried her blonde hair, tying it back as she went into her shoulder bag. Her hand was unconsciously playing with the locket she had resting on the black dress she now wore. It suddenly seemed like a heavyweight on her neck.

"Well would you care to share?" Erik wondered which caused a slim brow arched whilst he waited her to finish her chores. "You can look into my mind and I can't see into yours."

"I can't imagine how torrid that is for you," Annalise said sarcastically and Erik sighed once, rolling his eyes and allowing his hand to push through his hair before he flapped his arms to the side.

"Whatever," he replied. "Don't tell me what is wrong. It isn't like I even care that much."

"Fine," Annalise snapped back quickly. "Now are we going to be guinea pigs for the CIA or not?"

"I think we are more like lab rats," Erik muttered.

...

Annalise stood by the car which Erik had climbed into along with another blonde girl who went by the name of Raven. She rocked back and forth on her heels, her hands smoothing out the skirt to her dress as she wondered what to do. Charles walked over to the car after a brief conversation with Moira as she settled a few things before they could leave.

"I'm not coming," Annalise whispered to Charles suddenly. "I can't."

"I cannot force you," Charles replied to her. "Yourself being a fellow telepath would have something to say about that."

"You know why I can't come," she hissed to him as she heard Erik open the car door and climb out. His sunglasses were perched on the end of his nose as he rested his folded arms on the roof of the metal object.

"Are we planning on going anytime soon?" he snapped. "I don't fancy losing Schmidt again."

"Moira is just talking," Charles informed him, the morning sun blinding them as Annalise looked at Charles and then back to Erik.

"I'm sorry," she said and turned on her heel. She had her patent designer bag resting on her shoulder as she tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Erik raised a brow, beginning to walk around the car and after her, wondering what she was doing. Charles raised his hand, resting it onto his shoulder and stopping him from going after her.

"Leave her be," he demanded. "I shall go and see her. You need to go with the others back to their base."

"Why?" Erik replied, watching her retreating figure move past the buildings in sight before he turned back to Charles. "I know when something isn't right Charles and I know that something happened when I wasn't on that yacht."

"I will go and talk to her," Charles pronounced to Erik. "I'll get her to come back with me to the base."

"Why can't I go?" Erik simply asked him. "She was the one who asked me if she could come along."

"I am aware Erik," Charles sighed. "Just allow me to go and all shall be explained in good time. I am sure of it."

...

"Chocolat Chaud," Charles nodded when he finally found Annalise in the midst of a concrete jungle. She was sat on a seat outside of the little cafe which reminded her of one she had previously been in when she had lived in France. She sipped on the drink, looking up at Charles as he sat down on the spare seat, his hands clasping themselves together as he undid the button to his suit jacket, the grey material then hanging by his sides. "Missing France?"

"Oui," she nodded. "I thought I was cut out for this. I thought killing Schmidt would just be a matter of finding him. I believed that would be the hardest part. I never suspected that this would happen...all of this..."

"You believe what Shaw told you, don't you?" Charles asked her, his hand resting on the table as she placed the white cup down onto the metal, looking into the telepath's blue eyes and wondering what to say to him.

"I have thought about it," she nodded in agreement. "But I was eight...when they were in that office...he spoke German to my mother. I have never spoke German and I have never heard her speak it."

"I think you shall find the odds are stacked against what you want to believe my dear," Charles told her and she tightened the bobble which was holding her hair back as she tried not let out a loud snort.

"I don't know what to believe," she sighed lightly. "It would make sense why he never tortured me. I looked into Erik's mind and the things he did to him..." she trailed off, words not being able to convey her disgust with the man. "I can't be related to that. I just can't."

"I believe that genes shape who we are today," Charles informed her, sitting back on the chair and crossing his legs, his hands resting on the top of his thigh. "I think that our personalities depend on who we were born from and we often cannot help the way we are. But to stop us from being like our parent's there is something else which we need."

"Hm?" Annalise asked him. "And what is that?"

"The knowledge between the difference of what is right and what is wrong," Charles simply responded and Annalise looked at him as he leaned forward, his tone becoming hushed as he spoke to her once again. "You may be the daughter of Shaw but I can see that you are nothing like him. Just because you're related to him by blood does not have to make a difference about the way you feel about him."

"But I can't come back with you," Annalise shook her head. "I'm his daughter Charles. I'm the daughter of the man who the CIA want dead."

"You're forgetting something," Charles whispered, his voice soft and kind along with the encouraging smile which was resting on his lips. "You're not who the CIA want."

"It doesn't matter anyway," Annalise replied. "As soon as Erik finds out then I'm done for Charles...he will think that Schmidt is using me to get to him...he won't trust me about anything..."

"How long have you known Erik?"

"Let's just say it has been a case of hours rather than weeks," she replied cryptically. The time length was incredibly short.

"I see," Charles nodded. "Then if you haven't known him that long why do you worry what he will think?"

"Because...he's...he can be an arse," she admitted and Charles took in the way her French lilt became more pronounced. "But he's also kind when he wants to be...he's taken care of me whilst we have looked for Schmidt."

"The bond that you two have is not a healthy one," Charles promised her. "You two are bound together on your mission for revenge."

"Oui," she agreed. "But I don't want him to know about Schmidt and I. He wouldn't look at me the same way...every time...he would just see Schmidt's face, wouldn't he?"

"It would dent his view of you," Charles said, not bothering to lie to her as she looked down into her drink which was turning cold. "But I think he would be able to see past that."

"I don't think so."

"You won't know if you don't try," Charles shrugged. "If you leave now then Erik will think no more of you, I can promise you of that. You need to come back with me. I can see that you want revenge and by taking it then I don't think it will bring you peace...but I cannot stop you from feeling how you do...if you come back with us then you can find Schmidt...on your own...he can find you."

...

"And where did you go?" Erik asked as he stood beside Annalise as they walked down the halls of Division X. The agent in black was leading them through the hallways to meet a man named Hank who was apparently some kind of super smart scientist. Erik had dropped back to walk beside the small blonde who was staring straight ahead, her eyes looking onto Charles's back as she shook her head.

"Nowhere important," she promised Erik. "I just needed time to think."

"And this is Hank," the agent suddenly declared as Annalise and Erik lurked at the back of the crowd and Charles stepped forward, grabbing Hank's hand and informing him how wonderful it was to have another mutant working with them.

"What?" the agent asked, his voice confused as Charles shook his head apologetically.

"I am so sorry," he said quickly and Hank shrugged.

"It's fine," he promised him. "You never asked so I never told you."

"So what?" Raven asked him. "Your mutation is that your super smart?"

"I would certainly agree," Charles nodded quickly. "Hank graduated Harvard when he was fifteen."

"That's not all it is," he muttered as Charles told him he was with friends.

'_This is certainly turning into an interesting ordeal,' _Erik muttered in his head as he looked onto Hank's large feet which were now out in the open. Annalise nudged him in the ribs which caused his hand to grab onto the spot as the pair of them stepped back, watching as Hank moved about.

'_You should keep your thoughts quiet Erik...and besides...we can't all have normal mutations, can we?'_

'_I didn't say anything about him being weird...although seeing him jump and hang onto the model is slightly interesting...I don't know whether to laugh or cry.'_

'_How about shut up?'_

'_Now you're just being rude. I still want to know what is going on with you.'_

'_I keep telling you that it is nothing.'_

'_And I keep telling you that I'm not an idiot.'_

'_That is very debateable.'_

'_Don't make me do something I may regret.'_

'_You're forgetting that I could control you. You don't need to worry about doing anything regrettably.'_

'_Whatever. Just meet me outside the Division tonight, would you?'_

'_I know you plan to leave them here and go after Schmidt on your own.'_

'_Are you in or out?'_

'_I'll tell you tonight.'_

...

"I guessed you would be out here," Annalise informed Charles as she pushed the door of the building open with both hands, her bag on her shoulder. Erik had told her to lose the large case she had been using for her clothes and she had reluctantly agreed. She had managed to fit some clothes into her black bag but that was all.

"And I guessed you would buy into Erik's scheme," he said back to her. "What are you going to do when he finds out who you are? Shaw isn't likely to keep it a secret."

"I'll tell him when I need to," she said quickly back to him as the door opened again and Erik walked through it, seeing Annalise and Charles having a quiet chat. He raised a brow, lines forming on his forehead.

"Am I interrupting something?" he asked them.

"No," Charles told him. "I was simply telling Annalise that you two fighting this on your own is not going to help you get what you want. I've seen your mind Erik."

"And what have you seen?"

"Everything."

"Then you should know to stay out of my head," he snapped back quickly.

"I know that revenge is eating you up. It is getting to both of you...but killing Shaw shall not bring you the happiness which you so require." Charles said, the voice of reasoning emerging from him as Annalise looked at Erik, wondering what he was thinking but not wanting to look into his mind.

"Happiness is something which doesn't interest me," Erik growled and looked at Annalise. "Are you coming?"

"Yes," she nodded as she began to follow Erik.

"Shaw has friends...you two could use some..."

...

"We've been sat here for an hour," Annalise whispered into the darkness. Erik had managed to take a car from the base but he wasn't driving it. He was sat in it as he remained on the quiet lane which led up to the CIA base. Annalise had remained quiet until that moment, waiting for Erik to say something to her but he hadn't. He had been thinking deeply about Charles's proposition for him.

"I'm thinking," he muttered.

"I can see," she said dryly back to him before he looked across to her.

"What do you think?"

"I think Charles has a point," she admitted. "But I also know that the CIA will simply want to use us."

"That's the problem," Erik replied. "I've never needed anyone before. I don't need to start needing people now."

"By not needing anyone before you haven't managed to achieve what you want," she whispered to him. "Maybe help can change that."

"Help," Erik snorted, shaking his head. "I've never been helped before."

"Then why not try now?" she enquired. "I know what you went through Erik...and I can't begin to fathom how hard it was for you..."

"You were there too," he reminded her and she shook her head at him.

"He didn't use me like he did you. He killed my mother and that's why I want him dead...but...Charles is genuine...he does want to be able to help you."

"I know," Erik sighed. "I know."

"I think you should give him a chance," Annalise admitted. "I was about to do the same thing which you want to do now this morning."

"Why?" he asked her. "What is going on?"

Annalise looked at Erik for a moment, his blue eyes looking into hers as his hands rested on his lap and clenched together into fists, the frustration of her not telling him anything was eating up at him. He detested not knowing obvious things. It was even worse considering she knew everything.

She could see the annoyance radiating off of him and she knew that telling him would be the right thing to do. But doing the right thing didn't always lead to the result which she wanted. She shook her head at him once.

"I was scared," she admitted. "I didn't...last night...we could have died...I didn't know if I could continue. But Charles told me everything would be fine."

"Last night we came close to what we want," Erik told her. "But Charles is right. The next time we face Schmidt it will be different."

"How do you know?" Annalise worried. She didn't want to face him again. She didn't want the fact that she knew to come up to the surface. She didn't want Erik to hate her.

"I just do," he shrugged. "Intuition."

Annalise laughed once at that and Erik managed a small smile before he saw her yawn.

"So what should we do?" she asked and Erik shrugged.

"I don't want to go back yet. I need to think about this," he told her. "But you're tired. You haven't slept in a long time."

"Neither have you."

"I don't need to," he replied. "Just go to sleep here."

"How?" she asked him, looking at the backseat which was cramped considering Erik had chosen one of the smallest cars to steal. There were no headrests on the front seat which was also close to the dashboard.

"I don't know," Erik complained. "Just do something."

"Fine," she said and went into her black bag, fiddling around inside of it. Erik gritted his teeth together, the noise becoming annoying to his already pounding head as he rolled his eyes, grabbing onto her arm and pulling her across to him.

"Just lay down," he snapped at her as she shrugged her cardigan from her shoulders, screwing it into a ball before she dropped it onto Erik's lap. "I didn't mean there," he told her.

"But there isn't enough elevation on the other side and I would end up getting a crick in my neck," she pouted as Erik resisted the urge to once again roll his eyes.

"Since when did you have OCD?" he wondered.

"I don't," she replied. "I just believe there is a correct way to sleep."

"Whatever," he spoke back. "Just be quiet."

"You know you can be rather rude sometimes," she pointed out, pushing herself onto the seat, resting her head onto the cardigan which was in Erik's lap. She pulled her legs onto the seat, her feet just managing to not hit the other door as she bent her knees. She lay on her side, stuffing a hand under her head and allowing the other to dangle off the seat by Erik's legs.

"Now will you settle down?" he asked her.

"Goodnight Erik," she simply said back to him and he chuckled once, not replying to her as he went back to his own thoughts.


	5. Chapter 5

Annalise awoke at five am the next morning as she saw the small clock on the dashboard of the car. She blinked a few times, wondering what was happening as she heard a small snore come from next to her. Annalise slowly looked up and saw Erik was sat upright, his head was hanging downwards. Annalise had turned to bury her face into his flat stomach whilst one of his hands rested on her side and the other was by his side.

"Erik," she mumbled, hitting him lightly in the stomach with her finger as she sat up. She moved his hand from her side as she remained resting against him, her head leaning on his arm just below his shoulder as she yawned. He snorted in his sleep once again as Annalise tried not to laugh lightly. "Erik."

"Hm," he managed a small reply to her and she rolled her eyes. "What is it?"

"It's nearly morning," she simply whispered. "We should be going back to the Division."

"Yeah," he nodded once in weak agreement. "Whatever you say."

"How did you sleep?"

"I slept fine once you had stopped tossing and turning in your sleep."

"Well you're not very comfy to lie on," she assured him and he rolled his eyes at her, blinking quickly and rubbing his cheek.

"Well we won't have to sleep in a car again, will we?" he asked rhetorically and she shrugged.

"You never know the future," she told him and he looked at her for a moment, unable to hold back a small grin which was coming from his face. Annalise raised a brow, wondering what was so funny as his hand moved out to her, flattening out her blonde hair which had come loose from the ponytail she had kept it in.

"What is it?" she asked him, her own hand moving to the other side of her hair.

"Your hair...this is the second time I've seen it out of place." He told her simply and she groaned quietly.

"You have no idea how long it will take me to sort this bird's nest out," she complained and the smirk on Erik's face seemed to become larger as he shook his head, twirling a curl in his finger.

"You're so vain," he told her and she pursed her lips and shrugged.

"I can't help that," she whispered back to him and he shook his head.

"I suppose not," he whispered. "You still look better than some people I've seen."

"Is that some form of deranged compliment?" she teased him as he let go of her hair and she moved the rear view mirror so that she could see what to do about her hair.

"If it makes you feel any vainer," he tormented and she went to hit him quickly on the stomach but he grabbed onto her wrist to stop her.

"You really do need to learn how to fight better," he whispered.

"If you say so Monsieur Lensherr," she humoured him and took her wrist back, going back to playing with her hair.

"Do-" Annalise began to ask Erik something but before she could manage anything there was a large popping noise which entered the vehicle. Erik's eyes went large as he saw the red creature in the car. His hand automatically moved to Annalise but he was too slow. The red man had hold of her by her elbow and before Erik could comprehend anything she had gone. She had been taken from the car.

...

"Get the hell off of me!" Annalise snapped as she felt her feet touch surface again. His hand remained wrapped around her wrist as she struggled to get out from his hold, fighting against him as he finally let her go.

"Amoureux," his deep voice rang out and Annalise took in the surroundings of where she was. He had no right to call her sweetheart. It was a large room with plush carpets and big sofas. A desk was positioned near a wall and it contained a lot of paperwork resting on top of it. She automatically spun to look at where she had heard the voice come from and she saw him there. He was stood wearing a black suit, his hands clasped together as his eyes stared at Annalise. The blonde woman was sat on the sofa as Schmidt dismissed the red creature back to the control room.

"Thank you Azazel," he said as Emma stood up, pouring a glass of brandy from the small table which contained a drinks cabinet.

"What is going on?" Annalise snapped at him.

"That is no way to talk to your father Anna," he said. God he had given her a nickname already. "I had Emma track you down. She too is a telepath. It would seem there are a lot of them going around at the moment, would you not agree?"

"I don't particularly care," Annalise said, folding her arms. "Where am I?"

"On my submarine," he informed her. "I had hoped to be able to bring you here when you came onto the boat with young Erik Lensherr that evening."

"And as I told you, I would rather die than be here," she promised him.

"Well there is no way off unless you would like to drown," he assured her and Emma handed him the small glass which she poured him. He took it, gracing her with a small smile. "I plan for you to go back to Erik soon, don't worry darling."

"Then why am I here?"

"I need you to do something," Shaw informed her.

"This must be some kind of sick joke," she said to him and he shook his head, downing the alcohol in his glass and then handing it back to Emma.

"I don't joke Annalise," he assured her.

"I won't do anything for you," she said through gritted teeth. "I will never do anything for you."

"Erik has managed to consume you with revenge," he made a tut noise.

"No," she said through gritted teeth. "You did that when you killed my mother."

"I did it for your own good," he promised her. "Your mother was not like you or I. She did not develop any mutations...as soon as I found out about you I made sure that I had her brought to me. I would have settled for joint custody with you. I wanted to help you. I didn't want you to be scared of the powers which you had. Your mother had the option to do as I had asked and she didn't."

"You didn't need to kill her," Annalise shook her head. "I...you...I've seen what you did to Erik...I saw how you hurt him...and then you just left me...one day you were there and the next I was being placed into care with my Aunt..."

"I had to go," he replied as if it were obvious. "If I had stayed then I would have been stuck in a jail cell. What use would I have been there?"

"As much use as you are now," she informed him. "I don't care about you...you're nothing to me..."

"I wish things had been different," Shaw sighed, sounding as if he truly wished that. Annalise shook her head at him.

"Don't say that," she pleaded. "I don't wish that at all."

"You do my love," he spoke. "I could have taught you so much. You could be as powerful as Emma is."

"Shut up," she simply snapped at him. "Let me off of here now."

"I will do," he promised. "But I need you to do something for me."

"What?" she asked, hoping he would let her go if she simply spoke to him.

"I need you to allow Emma to enter your mind. Your walls have been up and she hasn't been able to do so," he said and she snorted.

"Why would I do that?"

"Because I need to know what the telepath is planning," Shaw spoke and Emma perched herself on the edge of the desk.

"Charles would know about this," she replied, shaking her head quickly. "It wouldn't work. That is the worst plan I've heard in a while."

"He won't remember anything," Shaw informed her. "Because you can block him out like you did Emma."

"I don't know if I can," she replied.

"You can and you will," he nodded sternly at her. "If you do this for me then I shall make you one promise."

Shaw advanced towards her, circling her like a predator does its prey and she remained stood still, not knowing what to do. He stood behind her his hand stroking her blonde hair as she tried not the dry wretch at what he was doing.

"You and Erik Lensherr are close, aren't you?" he checked with her. "I know he wants to kill me but he won't succeed. I would kill him before he had a chance to do so...you remember my mutation my dear. I can easily kill him if I need to."

"Emma has tapped into your mind," he whispered into her ear. "She knows how the two of you are bonding. I don't want to hurt you my love. I don't need to hurt you or him. But when the time comes and if he finally manages to gain the chance to kill me then I will spare him. I will hurt him but I will spare him."

Annalise remained silent, not knowing what to say back to him as she felt herself want to cry. He stood beside her, his thumb resting onto her cheek and removing the stray from her face.

"You're much prettier when you don't cry my dear," he whispered to her. "I take it that you will do it then."

"I should just kill you right now," Annalise whispered and Shaw chuckled.

"You couldn't kill your own father," he simply stated. "Now will you do it?"

Annalise thought for a second. She allowed a small nod to come from her body and Shaw clasped his hands together.

"Wonderful," he spoke. "I shall have Azazel return you back to Erik. Emma shall be in your mind and you shall let her. The other telepath won't have any idea."

"Erik will find you," she promised him as Emma whistled for Azazel to return which he did so in a pop.

"I don't doubt it sweetheart. And when he does then I shall remember this little arrangement of ours. Now Azazel, take Anna back to the base and then return."

"Da." He agreed quickly, grabbing onto her hand as Shaw looked at her one more time.

"When this is all over then I will have you back my dear. I can promise you that."

...

A/N: Thanks to anyone who alerted this and favourited too! And I thank anyone who would wish to leave a review!


	6. Chapter 6

"I do have permission to be here!" Annalise snapped as she stood in the entrance of Division X. The desk in front of her had a woman sat behind it, looking at a screen as Annalise huffed in annoyance at what was happening. "Seriously, this is ridiculous."

"I'm sorry ma'am but we don't have a visitor card for you," the woman replied, looking at Annalise as she rolled her eyes, about to yell some more but before she had a chance there was the noise of Erik.

"She's with me," he snapped as Charles followed him, close on his heels. Annalise looked across at Erik who stood before her, looking into her eyes. She felt Charles try to enter her mind, intending to strike up an immune conversation but she blocked him. It took a lot of effort for her to do that and to look at Erik, trying to act like her normal self.

"What happened?" he asked her, eager for an explanation as she looked at him.

"It was Schmidt," she whispered. Erik took once glance around the room before he shook his head at her, his hand moving with expectancy for her to take it. Charles watched as she hastily grabbed onto him. She allowed him to walk her through the main door of Division X. He stopped as he turned the corner, making sure no one was around to hear them. Charles followed slightly, stopping a few metres away whilst Erik released her hand.

"What did he do to you?" he whispered. Annalise couldn't help but note the concern in his voice and she felt sick knowing that he wouldn't care about her if he knew the truth.

"Nothing," she shook her head. She wanted to do nothing but cry but doing that would make her look weak. She knew that Erik didn't take kindly to weak people. "He...he tormented me about my mother again...he kept on telling me how we wouldn't be able to kill him..."

"What?" Erik asked her again, his brow rising as he wondered what she was telling him. She sniffed loudly, attempting to keep back the tears which wanted to form in her eyes. "Schmidt had a motive behind what he did. He wouldn't just let you go after a little tormenting."

"He did," Annalise snapped back quickly at Erik. "He knows I'm the weak one Erik."

"Don't cry," Erik pleaded with her. He slowly raised his eyes back to watch her as she leaned against the wall. She ran a hand through her blonde hair as Erik stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"I'm sorry," she told Erik. "I'm really sorry."

"Why are you apologising?" Erik wondered aloud.

"Because you didn't think I was as weak as this and I didn't think I was as weak as this but I am and I don't know what I can about it Erik because I'm scared. I am so scared." Erik listened to her blathering, his eyes intently watching her as she wiped them, causing them to become redder than before.

"It's going to be okay," he promised her.

"But you didn't want baggage like mine," she shook her head. "You didn't know what you were bringing along."

"I did," Erik whispered, his hand wiping away a tear for her. "I knew that you wanted revenge as much as I did. I know that you're not like me but I still brought you with me Annalise. You're special...your powers...I'm a monster and you're not."

"Non," she shook her head quickly as Erik lowered his hand from her pale face. She caught it quickly in her own hand before he had a chance to allow it to move back to his side. Erik continued to watch her with interest. "You're not a monster Erik. You're not."

"I hate to interrupt," Charles interrupted after being a third party watcher to their conversation, "but we need to go and find Hank. We need to go and look for the mutants."

...

"Erik insists that you come along," Charles told Annalise as he waited with her that evening by the car. He wore his black suit but his top button was undone and his tie was hanging loose. He had his hands stuffed into his pockets as he watched Annalise. She had changed into her grey pencil skirt with her white blouse tucked into it. "When he thought you went missing he was worried what Shaw was doing to you. You're slowly wrapping him around your finger."

"I disagree," Annalise said back to Charles, wishing Erik would walk out to the vehicle soon before Charles began his deep questioning.

"He cares about you," Charles admitted, "although he doesn't know the truth. You should tell him."

"I know I need to tell him," Annalise hissed. "I will decide when I tell him though."

"So what did Shaw really want?" Charles asked. Annalise had been waiting for that question to enter her ears as she looked at Charles.

"As I said," she drawled, "he was tormenting me."

"Then let me access the memory so I can make sure," Charles replied and Annalise narrowed her eyes at him, blocking him from her mind once again.

"Do you not believe me?"

"To be frank, no I don't," Charles easily told her.

"I'm hurt."

"No you're not."

"I'm not," she replied and sighed once, looking at Charles. She couldn't tell him. Emma would be in her mind and she would know if she told Charles. She needed to warn him off without giving anything away. "You need to believe me Charles. I know what is best."

"Something isn't right," Charles said simply. "I know that and you can't deny it. You're in a tangled web Annalise. You're right at the centre of it."

"I know what I'm doing," she promised as she saw Erik move over to them, his hands in his black suit as he looked at the pair of them.

"So are we doing to track these mutants down or what?"

...

"You are not coming in there," Erik snapped at the French girl, his finger pointing at the club. Annalise looked confused for a moment, her brows furrowing together.

"Why ever not?" she replied. "This is discriminating Erik!"

"You are not stepping foot in there," he told her quickly. "Now sit in the car and be a good dear."

"Eurgh," Annalise huffed, moving towards the club. Before she could any further down the dark alley she felt herself being pulled back as Erik grabbed onto her arm.

"Now come along," Erik told her as she complained against his grasp. He unlocked the car door and opened it up as Annalise looked into his blue eyes which smirked with amusement. "You wouldn't control my mind," he whispered to her.

"I wouldn't bet on that," she murmured back as he winked once at her.

"I would," he chuckled and forced Annalise back into the vehicle, his hands locking the door by flicking the little switch down.

...

"Words cannot describe how pissed off I am with you Erik Lensherr," she snapped at him as he sat in the back seat beside her. Charles was handing Angel his jacket as they made their way to the vehicle.

"You've dropped the Monsieur," he said simply and she folded her arms, sitting back in her seat as Erik raised a brow.

"So you're giving me the silent treatment?" he asked and she didn't reply.

"Angel...this is Annalise Dubois...she is a fellow telepath like myself."

"How do you do?" Annalise asked out of politeness as Angel turned her head around, looking into the back seat and she managed a small smile.

"Hi," she spoke back. Charles began to drive off; his eyes focused on the destination as Angel remained quiet, going through everything which was in her head.

'_You look cold,' _Erik thought and Annalise shrugged in response. '_You can have my jacket.'_

'_I'm fine.'_

'_Don't lie...just take the jacket...it will make me feel better.'_

'_Why?'_

'_Because you're no use with a cold, are you? And you continue to insist on wearing sheer clothes...do you not own anything that makes you look like you don't work in a bank?'_

'_Do you do anything apart from slag off my clothes?'_

'_It's becoming a hobby.'_

'_Well you can pack it in.'_

'_You're terribly adorable when you're angry.'_

'_You should see me when I'm really pissed off then.'_

Erik smirked once, moving out of his jacket and handing the black material over to Annalise who remained stern looking. He rolled his eyes, dropping the material onto the seat.

'_So what did you do in the club?'_

'_Why?'_

'_You were in there a while.'_

'_I know...she had questions. She wanted to know what we wanted...what did you think I was doing?'_

'_You're a male in a club with women dancers.'_

'_Do continue as you have me lost.'_

'_Don't play stupid.'_

'_Nothing. The ride back may be a while...you should probably try to sleep.'_

'_I'm not that tired...I don't want to sleep...in case...'_

'_In case Schmidt gets to you again?'_

'_Pathetic, isn't it?'_

'_No. You've been through hell. It is only right that you're scared.'_

'_Hm.'_

'_Look...just...go to sleep...that red thing won't get you again. He needs to grab onto you to teleport, doesn't he?'_

'_Oui. He did it before.'_

'_Then you can well...rest your head on my shoulder...that way you don't need to worry.'_

'_You're becoming soft.'_

'_Don't then. I don't care either way.'_

'_Stop thinking then. We should try and sleep.'_

Annalise scooted closer to Erik who picked up his jacket and looked at her as she rested her head onto his shoulder. She took the jacket from him, placing it over her body as she took in the scent of his plain white shirt.

'_I thought you didn't want the jacket.'_

'_Shut up Erik.'_

'_Goodnight Annalise.'_

'_Night Erik.'_


	7. Chapter 7

"Exceptional," Annalise snorted in sarcasm as she stood beside Erik. Charles was next to Moira, his hands on his hips as he looked into the mess of chaos at Division X. Moira's eyes was looking into the room which had once been protected by glass but was now a complete mess. The statue which stood on the courtyard had its head ripped off and it was on fire. They had been in the room, destroying it completely as if it had been theirs to mess with.

"I expected more from you," Charles told Raven and he then took off with Moira in tow. Annalise followed and Erik shook his head, walking behind them with his thoughts fuming.

'_Calm down,' _Annalise silently commanded Erik as he walked next to her. His hands were pushed into his fists and in his pockets. He was glaring straight ahead as he remained quiet, not bothering to reply to Annalise as they begun their tracking down of Shaw.

...

"Do you plan on telling him yet?" Charles pushed Annalise as she stood in the small airfield base, looking up at the plane which was being prepared. They were lucky enough to be travelling on their own plane but that was a perk of being the CIA's guinea pig. She folded her arms, looking across to Charles and she shook her head. He pinched the bridge of his nose, his eyes closing in frustration.

"If Shaw is there when we get there then he will let it slip Annalise," Charles told her quickly. "He will do it to torment you and Erik will be there. He will hear him."

"He won't say anything about that," Annalise said quickly. He wouldn't mention it. He needed Annalise to be his own personal spy and by telling Erik who she was that would ruin his plans. He wouldn't trust her and she would be no use then.

"Why are you so sure?" Charles asked, once again trying to enter into her mind but she pushed him out. "I have an idea what is going on...something isn't right and it is to do with Shaw. You don't need to hide Annalise."

"I'm not hiding," she shook her head at him. "I'm doing what I need to do."

"You're scared," Charles observed. She was pale and nowhere near as smart looking as she had been when he had first known her. Her hair was hanging lose around her face and she refused to eat. "He hasn't noticed because he isn't like us but I know Shaw has got to you in some way."

Annalise remained quiet, leaning in closer to Charles.

"If you think you know what you know then you need to stay away from me Charles," she whispered.

"I can't do that," he whispered, noticing Erik circling the plane as the pair of them remained out of the way, speaking in hushed tones. "You're not alone Annalise. If he has done something to you then you can tell me and I can help."

"I can't Charles," she whispered. "I can't tell you..."

'_You're becoming weak,' _a sudden voice snapped in her head and Annalise's breathing hitched, her eyes closing as Emma silently communicated with her. _'The telepath knows something is wrong and you're not putting him straight. Your father isn't best pleased.'_

"I'm your friend," Charles promised her. "I am here to protect you."

"It isn't me who needs protecting," she murmured back. "I'm not doing this to protect myself."

"You're doing it to protect him," Charles said hastily back to her. He may not be allowed to enter her mind but he didn't need to in order to find out what was happening. "Shaw's threatened him, hasn't he?"

"You're pushing me too far Charles," she said lowly.

"He has then," Charles said. "You're doing something to protect Erik and that's why you won't let me in. You need to trust me."

"I do," she whispered. "It's Schmidt I don't trust."

"I don't think anyone trusts him," Charles said to her. "I understand how hard this is for you-"

"-No you don't," Annalise said. "You don't know Charles."

"Then let me," he begged her. "Let me in. He can't hurt Erik...if I promise you that won't happen then will you let me help?"

"How can you be sure?" she murmured.

"I can't," Charles admitted, "but being able to look at us honestly without these lies should be enough for you to tell me."

Charles felt Annalise want to cry, her mind was clouded as she slowly let her walls down for the fellow telepath. Charles took a step closer to her, his hand moving into hers as he drew her closer to him. She rested her head onto his shoulder as she finally let him into her mind.

'_You don't need to worry.'_

'_How can I do anything but?'_

'_I'm learning the truth. You don't need to be on your own.'_

Charles delved into her mind, managing to see what Shaw had asked of her and what he had told her would happen if she didn't do as he had asked. He felt the diamond woman in her mind too, telling Annalise that she had blown it and Shaw no longer needed to complete his promise which he had made to her. She shook silently as Charles removed his fingers from his temple and she looked back to Charles.

"He's certainly annoyed," Charles told her and she snorted once as Moira yelled for them to come over to the plane. "But it's better now..."

"No it isn't. Because now I need to tell Erik."

"The Russian Defence Chief isn't going to be around all day!" Erik yelled at them, zipping up his leather jacket and Charles nodded once, placing his hand onto the small of Anna's back as he led her to the plane. Once on the vehicle they took their seats and buckled up, waiting for the plane to take them to Russia. Erik took the seat next to Annalise as Charles sat beside Moira on the seat behind. The plane then began to fill up with other officers who went about their own business, laughing and joking with each other.

'_I didn't know that you and Charles were so close,' _Erik thought and Annalise sighed.

'_He's a good man...he was helping me...'_

'_I may not be a telepath but I know something isn't right. I've seen it for the last few days whilst we've been finding the mutants. You're looking pale and you aren't eating right. This has started ever since Schmidt took you.'_

'_I can't tell you Erik...if you even found out...you'd hate me...'_

'_What are you talking about? Why would I hate you?'_

'_I don't think this is a conversation for up here.'_

'_Well you can talk to me inside my head. I don't like not knowing what is going on especially when you think it could impact on me.'_

'_You don't understand Erik.'_

'_Then let me.'_

'_First off, you need to know that I had to do what he asked me. It was the only way.'_

'_What was? Stop being so goddamn cryptic!"_

Annalise turned to look at him for a moment after he had silently yelled at her in her head and he looked back at her, his eyes stern and narrow and heading in her direction.

'_You don't need to yell at me.'_

'_Well you don't need to keep things from me.'_

'_Schmidt...do you want to know why he never tortured me like he did you?'_

'_I don't know...I don't know why you got special treatment.'_

'_I'm his daughter Erik.'_

She had said it. She had told him what she didn't want to be true. Erik remained quiet, looking at her. She could already see the hatred radiating from him as he didn't reply to her in her thoughts.

'_He...he told me to let Emma...the diamond woman into my mind...so that he could see what we were doing...I had to do it Erik...he said...he will kill you Erik...please...see that I had to do it...please believe me...'_

Erik remained quiet, looking at her. She had turned into a double spy. She had been letting Shaw see what she was doing and what they were doing. He now knew all of their plans and had them at a disadvantage. She had betrayed them. He would rather have died then see Shaw gain the upper hand.

'_Just say something Erik. Please...I did this for you...to keep you safe...just don't ignore me goddamn it!'_

Annalise left his mind, looking back at him as he unbuttoned his seat belt, looking at her as he leaned in closer, his mouth next to her ear as she began to cry.

"Why don't you fuck off back to Shaw you stupid bitch?" he asked her and quickly stood up.

"Erik," she begged, leaning across his empty seat to see him walk to the back of the plane and take a single seat there. She sat back in her seat, looking out the window for a moment before she noted Charles sat next to her.

'_He's just angry.' _He promised her. She drew her feet onto the chair, placing her arms over her knees and resting her forehead on the caps, crying into the trousers which she was wearing.

'_He made it clear what he thought about me.'_

'_He doesn't see that you did it to make sure he was protected. He thinks he can look after himself. He just sees you as a-_

'-_Backstabbing cow?'_

'_I didn't want to say it...not that in that context anyway...'_

'_How do you always see the good in people? Why can you not see me for what Erik does?'_

'_Because he isn't right about you that is why. You just need to give him time to calm down. You are nothing like Schmidt and you should never think you are.'_

She didn't say anything back to Charles and instead he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, bringing her to his side as she rested her had onto his shoulder and he rubbed her upper arm. Charles hated to see people upset. He hated to see anything which wasn't right. And Annalise suffering because she tried to protect Erik was not right.

...

"Oh look at that," Erik spoke snidely as he lay on the ground with his binoculars pressed to his eyes. "Your daddy isn't here." He removed the binoculars, forcing himself to look at Annalise with his narrowed eyes as she dropped her binoculars and glared back at him, unable to say anything but allowing him to just sit there and taunt her.

"That's enough Erik," Charles demanded from him as he lay in between the pair of them.

"Daddy?" Moira raised a brow but didn't say anything further as there were big concerns other than Erik starting to bicker. "So what do we do? We came here for Shaw...we have to abort the mission."

"No," Erik shook his head. "She's his right hand woman...unless you know something Annalise."

"Erik," Charles warned him again as Moira shook her head.

"We can't go in there. We came here for Shaw...if we go in there then we jeopardise the future of the CIA."

"I'm not CIA," Erik grinned at her before he took off from the hill they were hiding on. Moira snapped at him to come back but he refused to do so. Annalise sighed once and began to stand up as Charles grabbed onto her wrist.

"What are you doing?"

"Going to stop that idiot from killing himself. "Idiot absolu!"

Annalise ran down the hill, seeing Erik ahead of her as he grabbed onto two guns and dragged the men forward before kicking one of them in the head, causing him to blackout. Annalise swore again in her head as he entered the large retreat mansion. She climbed up the steps, sensing where Emma was as Erik looked around with a confused expression.

"What are you doing?" he snapped at her and she rolled her eyes as she snatched her arm from his grasp.

"Unless you want to wander around here getting lost then I suggest you follow me," she hissed at him and took off down a corridor. He pushed his hair back into place as Annalise felt Charles in her mind, telling her not to do anything brash.

"How do I know that you're not leading me into a trap?" Erik asked her, looking down at her and seeing the hurt in her face as she looked back at him.

"Do you think I would do that?" she whispered.

"I don't know what to think about you anymore," he replied simply.

Annalise continued to walk forward, finally turning and opening a door which showed a large bedroom. But the most disturbing sight was the man on the bed who was raising his hands. He looked as if he was fondling the air. Annalise knew better instantly as Charles entered the room, seeing what was happening as Emma smiled from the sofa she was sat on.

"What?" the man snapped, seeing the intruders in his room and he looked at Emma who waved with a grin.

"Go to sleep," Charles commanded him as Emma stood up, shifting into diamond form.

"You can't read my mind sugar," she told Charles as he doubled over in slight pain. "And Miss Schmidt...your father is terribly disappointed in you...giving the game away..."

"He can rot in hell," Annalise said through gritted teeth.

"I doubt that," Emma said and tried to jump over the table in the centre of the room. Erik grabbed onto her before she could move anymore and Charles joined in, managing to throw her to the floor in the room before Erik used his powers, moving the metal from the bed frame to wrap around her diamond frame. Charles watched on as his mind warmed up, the hatred for the woman evident in his face. Annalise stood still with her eyes looking at Emma, seeing her crack from her diamond form at the neck.

"Erik!" Annalise snapped at him.

"Stop it," Charles warned. "Erik stop it now."

"There," he sighed back, his mouth hanging open as he sat down on the sofa which she had evacuated. "Just give her a little tap if she tries to turn back into her natural form."

...

"You cannot stay mad with her for the rest of time, my friend," Charles informed Erik. They had managed to find a small cafe in the airport. The plane which they had travelled to Russia on was having technical problems and so to return back to the States they had to travel on a normal passenger plane. Annalise was sat in the departure lounge with her legs crossed and her eyes looking at the glass window and onto the planes which took off and landed. Moira was speaking to her fellow agents, her eyes occasionally glancing back to where Charles sat opposite Erik.

"I don't plan to know her for the rest of life," Erik said, his voice low.

"She did it because she thought she was protecting you," Charles informed him, sipping on the coffee in front of him, his eyes never leaving Erik's. "She cares for you."

"She needn't bother," Erik snapped back. "She betrayed the unit Charles and for that we can't trust her."

"You cannot honestly believe that she would purposefully betray the unit, can you?"

Erik didn't say anything to that. He didn't believe it. There was nothing about that which he could believe and he didn't want to believe it.

"You may be angry with her for keeping this from you," Charles whispered as Erik looked out to where she was sat. "But she did it because she thought it would protect you...if your roles were reversed...would you protect her?"

"That is completely different Charles," Erik shook his head. "You cannot even begin to reverse roles here."

"I don't see how it is any different," Charles admitted, a small smile coming onto his pale face. "Just go and talk to her. She doesn't need this Erik."

...

"I bought you this," Erik stated. He was stood to the side where Anna was seated. She glanced up to look at him as he held the polystyrene cup in his hands. She took it from him, folding her legs and pushing her hair behind her ears.

"Thanks," she managed to say and he sat down on the empty seat beside her.

"Charles sent me," he said. She couldn't help but think of how he sounded like some stroppy child who had been sent to apologise to her. She remained tight lipped, allowing him to have his chance to speak to her. "I guess I should come anyway...I...well...what you did was stupid, you know that, right?"

"If you've just come here to insult me some more then you can go away, d'accord?" she snapped and he smirked at her anger and her French accent.

"I haven't," he promised. "Although I would like to. I've come to say...well...I understand. Well I don't really. But I know why you did it. For some naive reason you thought you were protecting me from him. I don't know why you would want to do that."

"What?" she replied, her brow raised. "You don't know why?"

"Well I mean...it isn't like we've known each other that long, is it?"

"You don't get it, do you?" she whispered to him, drinking the drink which he had bought her.

"I do," he replied in a small voice.

"I like you Erik," she managed to tell him. "I only went along with him because I don't want to see you hurt...you're...I don't know how to explain it Erik..."

"You don't need to," he replied, his hand resting on her cheek before he leaned in and kissed her gently.


	8. Chapter 8

Erik remained awake on the plane ride back home as he leaned back in his seat, his hands clasped together. The blonde slept beside him and he occasionally glanced across at her. She was sleeping soundly as the pilot informed them that they were nearing the states once again. Erik didn't know why he had decided to kiss her. It felt right at that moment in time and he truly did feel something for the French girl. He knew she wasn't as strong as he had initially believed when he met her in Switzerland. The way she had held herself when she demanded to see him in his apartment was completely different from how she was now. But Erik felt that it was his right to protect her. She was a fellow survivor from Shaw. She was his daughter. But she was nothing like him. She couldn't be anything like him.

...

"I don't know how you survived Charles," Erik teased as they stood on the large green yawn in Westchester. Charles had a small grin on his face as Erik peered up at the large mansion which stood in front of them. The teenagers also seemed impressed by the sight which they were seeing.

"It must have been difficult," Annalise joined in with the joke as Raven moved over to the man she claimed to be her brother.

"It was a hardship softened by me," she said and Charles kissed her on the top of her head.

"Now it's time for the tour."

...

"I thought your apartment was nice," Erik said as he saw Annalise in the makeshift later that day. She looked over at him as he had a wide grin on his face and she smiled lightly. "But I have to say that Charles' house wins."

"I cannot disagree with that analogy," she admitted. Erik took in the clothes which she had borrowed from Raven and folded his arms. She was stood in a white vest top with grey sweatpants on her legs. Her long curly hair was pulled back into a high ponytail as she looked at the metal weight, wondering how on earth she was supposed to lift it up. Erik took in the way she was staring at it and muffled a laugh by placing his hand on top of his mouth.

"You're supposed to lift that up," he told her and she rolled her eyes.

"Very funny," she commented as Erik watched her and he walked over to her.

"Just lie down on the mattress," he demanded. She looked questioningly at him but he nodded at the blue material and she slowly moved over it.

"Now lift your arms up and grab onto the metal," he told her and she did as he told her. "I'll help you to lift it up and then I'll let go when it's in the air."

"But what about if it crushes me?" she worried. "I'm not cut out for physical exercise."

"Well you need to be if you plan on facing Shaw. Now just get ready for it."

Annalise took in a deep breath as the weight moved up with ease and Erik's help. As soon as he stopped using his powers the weight seemed to increase and Annalise felt her arms bend, unable to hold it into the air all the way as she turned red with the heat. Erik watched her struggle for a moment before it nearly touched her stomach which would have helped to crush her. He outstretched his hand, lifting the metal back up as he sat beside her on the mattress and placed the weight back onto its stand. Annalise sat up, coughing lightly as Erik placed a hand onto her back, patting it to help her.

"Maybe you should stick to lifting small things," he informed her. "Are you alright?"

"Oui," she told him. "I'm fine...just...clearly I'm not that strong..."

"Apparently not," he smirked and looked out the window at where Charles was training Hank about how to use his feet. "I have a question though."

"And what is that?" she wondered, pulling up the vest top which she was wearing and tightening the bobble in her hair.

"When we find Shaw," he began, "I am still going to kill him, and you know that, don't you?"

"I didn't think that aspect had changed," she blinked quickly and Erik remained quiet as she thought about what he had just told her. "You thought my mind might have changed now that I know he's my father."

"I had my doubts," he admitted.

"No," she said quickly. "Nothing has changed. I still want him dead as much as you do."

"Good," Erik nodded. "Anyway...Charles told me he thought you were in here. He wants me to teach you how to fight."

"The man who would rather use words than actions?" she checked.

"The time for words has passed," Erik simply spoke. "Now come on..."

Erik stood up and Annalise did the same as he took hold of her hand and tucked her fingers inside to make a fist.

"Never punch with your thumb inside of your fist. You need to keep it on the outside."

"Got it," Annalise nodded.

"Of course you have the advantage. You can see the move which your opponent will make before they make it. The only issue is that you may not act because you're not the violent type."

"Okay," Annalise nodded.

"And the main issue is when someone has you in a hold you can't get out of," Erik said and quickly acted. He held onto the fist he had made for her and twisted her arm quickly, holding it at her back as she squirmed in pain.

"Erik!" she snapped at him as he held her arm in his grasp, pressing her back against his front. "That hurts!"

"People won't care if you are in pain," Erik told her.

"I care!" she yelled and he twisted her arm even further and she yelled out 'ow' several times in a row.

"Now the question would be how to get out of this," he told her. "There's option one-"

But Erik stopped his teaching in mid sentence as he felt pain run through his body. He allowed Annalise to escape his grasp as she fell forward, turning around and looking at Erik who had his hands clasped onto his groin and he bent over in pain. Annalise watched with her mouth open as Erik fell onto the ground. She placed her hands over her mouth, dropping to her knees to, her hands not daring to touch Erik as she saw a small tear escape his eye and she shook her head.

"I am so sorry!" she told him. "Erik...oh God...I'm so sorry...Erik..."

"It's fine. I'm okay," he promised her. "That was good...very good...as long as you just don't apologise to your attacker."

"But still. I shouldn't have done that...but you were pissing me off," she bit her bottom lip and he looked at her with a grin as she stood up. "I'll fetch you some ice."

...

"I heard you hit Erik in the nuts," Sean told Annalise as she stood on top of the massive satellite with him, Charles, Erik and Hank. Erik narrowed his eyes at Sean as Charles grinned widely at what he remembered Erik telling him. Annalise pulled Erik's leather jacket tighter around the dress she was wearing.

"And that is a warning not to annoy me Sean," she told him and he seemed slightly worried before Charles distracted his mind.

"Don't worry. Now you just need to remember that your throat is a muscle," Charles said and Sean nodded once.

"I don't know if I can do it," he replied and Charles nodded once.

"You don't need to do it," Charles promised him whilst Erik rolled his eyes, stepping in front of Annalise.

"Let me help," he said and his hand pushed Sean from the edge. The young boy went flying down the side of the satellite screaming as the others stood by and watched him. Finally, Sean screamed loudly and the waves travelled from his throat, keeping him flying. Annalise sighed in relief before hitting Erik on the chest once.

"What?" he asked her. "I knew he'd be fine."

...

Annalise stood in the bedroom of the mansion, looking onto the sight of Erik and Charles speaking to each other. She saw how Charles pointed into the distance at the satellite, demanding Erik to turn it to face them. The look of surprise was evident on the metal bender's face as he shook his head, telling Charles he didn't have the anger in him to turn it. Before Annalise could watch anything further there was a knock on the door and Raven entered. She had her gym gear with her and she dropped it onto the bed.

"Erik told me to bring you some more clothes to work out in. Apparently you couldn't lift a spoon," Raven told her and Annalise rolled her eyes.

"Erik does talk rubbish," she complained. "He tells me that you're looking for a way to change your natural blue looks."

"Hank is developing some form of remedy," Raven said with a nod.

"Why do you want to change?" she asked her. "I know your natural blue form isn't exactly normal but it doesn't matter, does it?"

"You wouldn't understand," Raven said in an almost apologetic tone. "You're naturally beautiful and have Erik falling all over you...everything is perfect for you...but me...well I'm not any of that."

"I am hardly beautiful," Annalise replied. "And Erik is doing anything but falling all over me and believe me, I do not have a perfect life."

"I know it's probably not perfect...I know what you went through in the war...well...not like Erik..." Raven blathered.

"I'm his daughter," Annalise blurted out. "Shaw is my father Raven..."

"What?" she snapped back and Annalise sighed, pushing a hand through her hair. "No...it can't..."

"It is true," Annalise said quickly. "And it isn't common knowledge. Charles and Erik are the only others to know and I plan to keep it that way. Now you can see that no one has a perfect life Raven. But just because of the way you like doesn't mean anything. You're different Raven and that is nothing to be ashamed of."

...

A/N: Thank you to SasoLOVE111 and SanctuaryLover for constantly reviewing. And thank you to all of the people who placed this onto an alert! A review wouldn't go amiss and so pretty please let me know what you make of it so far! Ta!


	9. Chapter 9

"If we were to die tomorrow, what do you think it would be like?" Erik jumped back as he heard her voice from the darkness. He turned the light switch on to illuminate the room which he was using in Charles' Westchester mansion and he looked at the French girl who was sat cross legged on his bed. She was still wearing the white vest and grey sweatpants from earlier in the day when Erik had been teaching her the correct way to go about fighting. He walked over to the small desk in his room, placing his watch onto the wood as Annalise's eyes followed him.

"Shouldn't you be in bed resting up for tomorrow?" he pondered and she shrugged lightly at him, playing with a strand of hair.

"I don't think I would be able to sleep," she admitted. "And I did ask you a question?"

"You almost scared me to death whilst you did it," he reminded her with a sly brow arched on his forehead. "And I don't know what death would be like. I doubt it will come to that anyway."

"Hm," she agreed lightly, lying back on his bed which caused him to roll his eyes and stamp his foot lightly as he sat down on the edge of it.

"Don't you have your own bed to go to?" he wondered as she closed her eyes, grinning lightly whilst Erik lay on his side, propping himself up by his elbow as he looked at her.

"I suppose so," she informed him. "After tomorrow they are going to know that we exist; aren't they?"

"They won't accept us," Erik declared, moving onto his back. He had just had this conversation with Charles. And now Annalise seemed as if she was in the mood for it. "Humans and mutants will never be able to live side by side."

"What makes you say that?" Annalise asked him, opening one eye and turning her head to stare at him. He rested his hands onto his stomach, his thumb moving up and down the black material which covered his flesh.

"They will think that mutants aren't supposed to be here. They will turn against us. We will never be deemed normal Annalise. We both know what it is like for us to be experimented on. That stage would happen again if we do what we need to do tomorrow."

"And so what do you suggest?" she whispered to Erik, sitting up and looking down at him. "You think that Shaw is right? You think we...you think we need to kill all the humans?"

"Don't talk daft," Erik snorted.

"Well it sounds like that is what you're saying," she told him.

"I am saying that you view every human like Moira," he told her.

"And you see them all as Schmidt."

"And so we have a dilemma," Erik replied to her and she shook her head at him.

"I don't see a dilemma," she admitted. "We simply need to stop Schmidt tomorrow and after that...then we can decide what we need to do, okay?"

"What makes you think there is a we?" he enquired and sat up, watching her blink hastily.

"I just...well...I thought that you liked me..."

"I do," Erik agreed. "But I am not sure what I want in the future."

...

"You know," Charles drawled as he entered the library at three in the morning, "you're angry thoughts aren't helping me sleep much."

"Then stay out of my head," Annalise snapped at Charles who sighed. He was dressed and ready for the morning. He hadn't been trying to sleep at all. He doubted he would be able to do so. But he had heard Annalise storm out of Erik's room and he had seen the conversation which the two of them had spoke about.

"I am afraid it is too late for that," Charles said to her with a small smile. "Erik has worked alone all of his life. He doesn't know what he wants and he doesn't really know how to accept anyone else play a large role in his life."

"I know," she replied. "I just don't know what to think."

"When this is over then Erik...he may up and leave like he has done multiple times before. All he wants is for Shaw to be killed and that is the only reason why he agreed to help us. You do know that?"

"I know," Annalise nodded. "It is why I am here too."

"No," Charles told her. "You're here to stop Shaw but you also care about all of the humans who he could hurt. Erik doesn't."

"He thinks they're all tainted," Annalise said, folding her arms as she did so. "He thinks that most humans are against our kind and how can I blame him for thinking that? After everything that he has been through then I know why he thinks that."

"You've lived differently to Erik," Charles whispered. "You have seen that humans can be good. You have felt their presence..."

"I know," Annalise whispered. "I just wish Erik would feel the same."

"Erik is too strong to control and you can't make him feel what you do. He needs to understand that there is good in this world. The majority of this planet is good. Shaw represents the small majority which is not."

...

"How long have you spent in the mirror trying to make yourself look better?" Erik teased Annalise when they were at the airbase. She was looking up at the plane which Hank had designed as they waited for the genius to join them. She rolled her eyes at Erik and averted her gaze from him, folding her arms over the blue suit. He noted her cold attitude before he wrapped his arm around her waist, bringing her closer to his side.

"You don't need to be worried," he told her. "We will kill Schmidt."

"I'm not worried," she told him harshly. "Schmidt doesn't worry me Erik...I'm scared for you..."

"Me?" Erik cocked a brow as she pushed his arm from her, glaring upwards at him.

"After this then there is the chance that you will up and leave me..." she bit her bottom lip. "If I were to ask you not to, would you do that for me?"

"It depends on circumstances Annalise," Erik sighed. "I cannot make you a promise."

"Erik...just..."

"Hank!" Raven's sudden voice burst out and they all turned to face him. Every single set of eyes went wide as they saw the blue form approach them. It was only Raven who saw him for what he truly was. He was beautiful in her eyes.

...

"Sean!" Annalise snapped as they spoke about the dilemma they had with finding Schmidt's submarine. The telepath unbuckled her seat belt as Erik did the same thing, walking behind her and making sure she didn't fall on the moving plane. Charles stood up with haste as the teenager did the same. "You just need to control it like a muscle Sean...okay? Don't worry...Charles and I will be with you the entire time."

"I know," Sean nodded at her as Erik began to move close to him. "Keep him back!"

"Don't worry," Annalise said, "if he tries anything then I'll kick him in the balls, okay?"

"That makes me feel better," Sean said, his eyes grinning at Erik who would have liked to have done nothing more than push the kid out of the now opening doors. Sean stood tall for a moment, nodding to himself in determination before he jumped out the plane, screaming as loud as he could. Annalise moved back around the open doors as Erik held his hand out to her, helping her to stand upright.

"Sean has a location," Charles said and the plane began to tilt. Annalise automatically grabbed onto Erik's arm, her hands wrapping around him before Charles looked at his friend.

"Are you ready for this?" he asked him.

"As ready as I'll ever be," he replied. Annalise stepped back, watching as Erik lowered himself onto the wheel of the plane, the arm of it extending out of the vessel. She knelt beside Charles, looking into Erik's mind as he outstretched his hand. Charles reminded him to go to the point between rage and serenity. Annalise watched the concentration screw up onto his face, beads of sweat forming on his normally cool forehead.

'_You can do this Erik,' _she promised him through his mind.

'_It's so heavy...I don't think...'_

'_We believe in you...I believe you can do it Erik...'_

Charles and Annalise watched on in amazement as Erik seemed to become stronger. The submarine was appearing to the surface of the water, its metal clear as Erik smiled once in astonishment. He didn't think he could have done it. But now that he had he had never felt as powerful.

"Watch out!" Annalise snapped as she saw Riptide walk to the top of the sub, two whirlwinds blowing in his hands as Hank snarled in anger.

"It's going to be bumpy," he declared. As soon as the wind hit them they began to feel the plane become weak. The teenagers towards the back began to scream out in panic as Erik continued to drag the submarine along with them, seeing the beach in sight.

"Erik!" Annalise snapped at him. "Get back into the plane..."

"I'm nearly there," he assured her as he released the submarine, allowing it to tumble onto the beach, rolling all the way around. The plane then began to spiral out of control as Erik forced his way back into the object. He grabbed onto Annalise as he felt the plane begin to roll out of control. The pair of them fell onto Charles who was yelling in frustration. Erik kept them stuck onto the same surface, avoiding rolling around the metal object. As it came to a halt with a final bang he then allowed them to fall onto the ground.

"Is everyone okay?" Charles asked, standing up and looking down the plane before he went to help Moira. Annalise sat up with the help of Erik.

"Your hair is a mess now," he informed her and she swatted him on the arm before crawling across to the window and seeing Shaw's team stood on the beach, ready for a fight.

"I'm going in there," Erik told Charles who nodded.

"I'm going with him."

"No," Erik told her and she looked at him with wide eyes.

"What do you mean no?"

"You're not risking being hurt," he said to her. "I know how scared you are of him."

"Don't make me control your mind," she growled loudly. "You promised me Erik. You promised me in Switzerland...this is you and me against him!"

"She is going," Charles decided for them to stop their bickering. "She may be a help to you. Hank and Alex shall cover you."

"I'm going too!" Raven snapped.

"I don't think so," Charles told her. "I need you here. Erik...I can only guide you so far into the vessel and then you will need to rely on Annalise."

"Fine," Erik said with a gruff voice. The four of them moved from the plane. Annalise stuck by Erik's side as they looked at the mutants across the way. Azazel wasted no time in disappearing as Erik and Annalise ran forwards. Angel was hovering in the air which left Riptide on the ground. Erik wasted no time in using his powers to bring a piece of the sub down from the broken part and allowing the metal to hit the whirlwind. Erik leapt into the vessel, stopping and waiting for Annalise to take his hand as he helped her into the transport. She nodded once, looking around at the control room as Charles told Erik to turn off the power supply.

"He was making himself a bomb," Erik informed her. "He was absorbing the energy to start a nuclear war on his own."

"I've been in here before," Annalise told Erik as she moved into the living area where objects were flung about and destroyed. "But where is he?"

"Charles!" Erik snapped. "He's not in here goddamn it! There's no one here!"

"He has to be," Annalise replied, shaking her head as she heard a noise come from the room. Her and Erik turned around slowly, their eyes focused on the mirror room as they saw him stood there, a helmet on his head as he smiled at the pair of them.

"Erik and Anna...what a nice surprise."

Erik pushed his hand through his hair, forcing it to stay out of his face as Anna placed her ponytail behind her shoulder. The two of them walked forward into the room with a slow pace.

"How nice it is to see you both," Shaw smiled. "My darling Anna...I was completely disappointed with you."

"Likewise," she muttered back. "So what is this? You're becoming a bomb to declare World War Three?"

"If you would like to think of it like that," he nodded to her. "We are the way forward Anna, Erik would agree with me, wouldn't you?"

Erik didn't reply and instead he raised his fist, getting ready to hit Shaw but the elder man reacted first. He moved his hand to block Erik and sent him flying straight into the glass, tipping him upside down as the mirror shattered into pieces beside Erik.

"Erik," Annalise muttered, rushing over to him and helping him to his feet, her arm going around his waist. Charles managed to renter Erik's mind, telling him that he was breaking the vortex which had been in place. Annalise looked at her father, ready to hit him but he prodded Erik once again.

"Anna...my little darling...stop this fighting...we need to make peace. Would it help if I told Erik that I was sorry for everything I did to him in the camps? I am sorry for that Erik...but now isn't the time to fight, is it?"

"Shut up!" Annalise snapped at him and he looked at her with annoyance. He moved his hand out quickly, ready to knock her back as she tried desperately to get into his mind but found herself unable. Erik noted what he was going to do and he quickly used his powers, ripping pieces from the submarine's roof and allowing them to clatter in front of Annalise, creating a barrier between her and her father. Shaw turned toward Erik then, walking over to him as Erik used his powers to create a barrier between them two like he did a moment ago.

"You know I'm right Erik...you and I...we can work together. We know that the humans will never work with us...I made you who you are today..."

"I know," Erik whispered back, the metal pressing against his body, his face cut and bruised and his hair matted and out of place. "I know that you're my creator...I've always known..."

Before they could say anything else Erik quickly moved, his hands raising upwards and removing the helmet from Shaw's head. Shaw rushed forwards, trying to get it but Charles managed to stop him, controlling him. Erik dropped the metal which he had been holding as Annalise moved forward past the fallen barrier to see him stood still, frozen in time.

"I want you to know that I agree with everything you have just said," Erik said. "We are the superior race."

"What?" Annalise asked Erik. "You seriously cannot agree with him!"

"I do," Erik replied. "And I am sorry for this...and Charles, stay out of my head."

Erik grabbed the helmet which had been floating and he placed it onto his head.

"But unfortunately...you killed our mother's and for that...you have to die..."

'_Tell him to be the better man!' _Charles suddenly snapped in Annalise's mind and she looked at Erik. She may not agree with his views on the humans. But his view on Schmidt was something which she did share.

'_He's not a monster for wanting to do this Charles. And I am not stopping him.'_

"Are you with me?" Erik asked her, holding out his free hand to her and she stepped forward, taking hold of it. She stood by his side, her body turned sideways to his as she rested her head just to the side of his chest. "Are you okay?"

"Can we just hurry up?" she whispered. She wanted him dead. She didn't want to be related to him and she didn't feel like she was. He was no father to her. This shouldn't bother her.

The coin Erik held in his hand began to move through the air slowly as he counted to three. Annalise watched it go forward, her mind completely boggled at what he was doing. She felt a tear fall from his cheek and she knew how much this meant to him. He didn't want peace from killing Shaw. He simply wanted revenge on the monster who had murdered his mother. As Erik counted to three the metal pierced straight through his skin, a trail of blood being left down his forehead as it came out of the other side and he collapsed to a heap on the floor.

"It's over," Erik stated simply, his voice back to its cold and hard self as Annalise stepped away from his grasp, kneeling onto the floor and looking at Schmidt. His eyes were closed but he didn't look any different as she whispered down to him;

"I do wish things had been different...but...they're not and even now in death...I will never forgive you."

Annalise stood up again, looking at Erik who was staring back at her. She raised her arms, removing the metal helmet from his head as she looked into his mind and he allowed her without any protests.

"I want you with me," he informed her. She knew that he felt the guns in the water moving to the beach. She knew the Soviet's and American's were working together to kill the mutants. "We don't belong here Annalise..."

"I don't want to work against society," she said to him. "I'm a part of it Erik."

"Why can you not see that this is for the best?" he asked, his hand resting onto her cheek. "They are turning us against each other."

"No they're not," Annalise told him, placing her hand on top of his on her cheek. "We're doing that ourselves."

"I won't stop fighting against them Annalise...I need you with me...there's something about you..."

"I can't," she replied. "I can't Erik."

"Then I'm sorry," he said and suddenly kissed her again, taking the helmet from her hands as he did so, unknowingly to her.

...

"Jesus," Charles whispered as he saw Shaw's corpse floating through the air onto the beach, falling down with a collapse. Erik stood on the edge of the vessel, his hand holding onto Annalise's as she allowed him to wrap an arm around her waist as he brought the two of them to the ground.

"The time to stop fighting is now brothers and sisters," he declared before they hit the sand. Anna pushed herself away from him, walking over the beach to Charles' side, making her position clearly known as Erik indicated what was happening on the boats in the water.

"Tell me I'm wrong Charles?" he asked and Charles shook his head, nodding at Moira and telling her to call back to control and say that the beach is secure.

"The humans have played their cards...and now we play ours!" Erik declared. There was silence upon the beach as the sudden noise of firing missiles was heard. Everyone watched on as they lit up the sky, moving towards the beach as Erik raised his hand up, stopping them in their flight as he turned them around. Charles shook his head as Annalise did the same.

"Don't do this Erik," she begged him, her voice snapping loudly.

"They are men...good and innocent men...they're just following orders..."

Annalise noted the change in Erik's posture as soon as Charles had spoken them words and he turned to look at the telepath.

"I've been under the orders of men like them," he said. "Never again."

"No!" Annalise yelled as he sent the missiles flying back. She rushed towards him, her hands pushing him back as she tried to fight against him. Charles saw Erik manage to push her back and took his turn, running to him and tackling him to the ground, causing him to drop some of the missiles into the sea. Annalise sat on her knees, crawling the few paces to push Erik off of Charles as he hit him.

"Don't make me hurt you Anna!" he snapped at her, pinning her under his weight, his eyes narrowed into hers as his hands held her wrists by her side.

"Stop this Erik...this isn't you...you don't kill innocent people...just stop this..."

"I can't," he said as he heard gunshots coming towards him. Instinctively he stood up, his hands pushing the bullets of the way until a loud scream was heard. Annalise sat up, seeing Charles' back bend backwards, his knees collapsing to the floor as his face showed excruciating pain. Annalise grabbed onto him before he fell, lifting him up so that she had him cradled in her arms.

"Charles...oh God...Charles..." she worried whilst Erik fell to the other side of him, looking down at his friend.

"I'm sorry," he said quickly. "I'm sorry Charles...so sorry..."

And then he looked at Moira as she held the gun by her side, his eyes glaring at her as she began to panic.

"You," he hissed. "You did this!"

"Erik!" Annalise snapped at him as he used his powers to pull the necklace around her neck tighter against her flesh. "You did this to him!"

Erik released Moira looking at Annalise as she began to cry, wondering what was going to happen to the man she had always relied on. The man who had helped her and helped Erik.

"You did this to him so don't you dare blame anyone else!" she yelled. "You...you...how could you?"

"Calm your mind Annalise," Charles pleaded with her. "Yelling won't help anyone."

"But he did this!" she yelled again, looking over at Erik.

"They've achieved what they wanted," Erik told the pair of them. "They've turned us against each other."

Erik stood up, looking down at Charles as Annalise looked after him. His attention went to his fellow mutants, pointing down at the scene before them.

"They have made us turn against each other! The humans will never accept us for what we are and fighting against each other will not make anything better, do you not see? Join me now...and we can live how we need to...there will be no more hiding."

The last part caused Raven to stumble forward, looking at Erik who was waiting for her to take his hand as she went past it, sitting by her brother for a moment.

"You should go," Charles told her. "It is what you've always wanted."

"You promised you'd never read my mind."

"I promised you a lot," Charles reminded her and she kissed him on his forehead.

"Look after him," she told Anna who nodded once, moving Charles's hair from his face. Erik smiled at Raven as she joined the others in the line and he then looked back at Annalise, his eyes looking into hers for a moment. She didn't say anything to him and she couldn't even silently communicate with him. But she supposed words were not needed for the pair of them as she looked back at Charles and Erik went with a loud pop.

"We're going to get you to a hospital," she promised Charles. "You'll be fine."

"No," he said as she tried to help him move and the others rushed forwards. "I can't...I can't feel my legs..."


	10. Chapter 10

"Do you want to know the interesting thing," Annalise asked Charles as she sat beside him on a bench. She had helped him move from his wheelchair onto the wooden surface for he needed to feel something else for the chair was no longer being kind to his behind. "You're starting to teach. You really are a professor."

"Oh dear," he complained. "As long as I don't go grey and bald then I am fine with it."

"That would be harsh," Annalise said and he chuckled before they lapsed into silence again, listening to the faint hum of the wind around the Westchester mansion.

"Are you sure you won't stay?" he asked her and she shook her head.

"I'm going back to France, Charles...this isn't my place," she spoke. She had told him of her plan about what seemed to be a million times and each time he tried to persuade her otherwise. "I know what it will be like eventually."

"You believe there will be an us and them?" Charles checked with her and she nodded.

"It is you against Erik now," she whispered gently. "And I can't be a part of that."

"He wouldn't hurt you," Charles aid and she chuckled once, shaking her head.

"I'm not worried about him hurting me...I'm worried about seeing him again..."

"Do you think you made the wrong choice?"

"I didn't want to join him and I don't want to join you in working alongside the humans. I don't wish them hurt and pain...but I don't want to join a battle..." she decided. "I want to go back to how I used to live."

"I can see you're determined to do that," Charles informed her as he picked up her hand gently. "But there is always a place for you here at the academy."

"Merci," she smiled. "I should be going...I need to catch my flight soon...you will look after yourself, won't you?"

"Would I do anything but that?" he replied with a smirk, kissing the back of her hand before she kissed his cheek and stood up.

"You're a good man Charles...I've seen what you plan to do to Moira," she said to him and he looked away from her, squinting into the sun as she straightened out her blue dress.

"She isn't safe with us," Charles said and she shrugged.

"Everyone deserves someone Charles."

"In that case before you go I left something in the hallway...I think you should take it."

She raised a brow, wondering what he was talking about but he shook his head as she began to walk away.

"Aurevoir Professor," she spoke out to him.

"Goodbye Anna."

Annalise entered the front door to the mansion, seeing her patent black bag already waiting for her but the thing sitting on top of it was much more interesting. She picked it up and examined it, finding the collar and sliding her finger into it, pushing it behind her shoulder as she picked her bag up and allowed it to hang on her arm, the smell of his leather jacket close to her once again.

3 months later

Mademoiselle Dubois sat in the small rented apartment in the city of Paris. The night air was cold as her large patio doors were open, leading onto a small balcony as the hustle and bustle of the city went by her. Annalise looked to her side at the stacks of paper which she still had to go through and she took a deep breath, dropping the red pen and leaning back in the wooden chair, her hands running through her hair.

"You might want to get that cut, you know," a voice startled her and she looked to the side where it came from. Stood in the doorway to her balcony was Erik. He was there. He was right in front of her. He wore the metal helmet he had stolen from Shaw and a red cape covered his shoulders as Annalise looked at him. "But I quite like it long. It does suit you."

"What are you doing here?" she asked him, anger still apparent in her tone.

"I heard you were back in Paris," he whispered. "And you have a teaching job...I wanted to see how you were doing."

"I'm doing fine," she snapped back at him and he raised a brow.

"Are you not going to enquire about me?" he wondered. "It is common courtesy."

"So is not shooting someone and paralysing them," she quipped back and Erik closed his eyes, hurt by her words.

"I apologised to Charles."

"And you think that makes it alright, do you Erik?"

"I go by Magneto now," he spoke back to her and she cringed at the name, standing up and moving to face opposite him.

"Code names?" she enquired. "How droll."

"You can have your own if you join me," he told her and she shook her head quickly.

"I'm fine here...and what's with the outfit?"

"A disguise," he shrugged. "Join me."

"No," she said again impatiently. "I'm not joining anyone Erik."

"I was surprised that you didn't stay with Charles," he admitted. "He stands for everything you believe in."

"And he also stands against you," she deadpanned. "I can't go against you Erik and I'm not going with you. You must know that so why are you here?"

"I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"You could have had Emma look into my mind. I found out she had joined you."

"Fine then," Erik snapped. "I needed to make sure you were okay Annalise...regardless of what you think...I care about you..."

"Not enough to stop this though," she replied. "Not enough to live normally with me...that's all I want..."

"It wouldn't happen," Erik said determinedly. "It couldn't have worked like that."

"You never tried," she said, trying not to cry in front of him. "You need to go Erik...I've got lots to do..."

"I won't give up on you my dear," Erik promised her, his hands moving the helmet and lifting it from his head. "I still want you Annalise."

"You always wanted what you couldn't have," she replied, folding her arms across the green dress she wore. "I have your jacket too...Charles...asked me to keep it safe..."

"I don't need it," he shrugged. "It looked better on you anyway."

"I'll throw it out then," she lied and Erik shook his head, chuckling gently.

"No you won't," he replied to her hastily.

"Well you should go...I've got this to do then I need to sleep..." she told him, walking back to her desk but he grabbed her quickly, his arm wrapping around her waist as he looked down at her. She didn't resist his hold as his other hand held onto her waist.

"I'm sorry," he told her. "I wish things could be different."

"So do I," Annalise replied. "I miss you Erik..."

"I'm here," he told her.

"I miss the man you were...I miss Erik Lensherr...not Magneto..."

"He's the same person to you Mademoiselle Dubois." Erik paused, his finger tilting to lift her chin upwards. "He'll always be the same to you."

And she didn't even resist the fact that he was kissing her.

...

The next morning Annalise awoke, sheets tangled around her body as she rolled onto her side, fully expecting to see Erik lay beside her. But he wasn't there. She sat up, looking around the room with the sheets remaining on her. He'd gone. He had left her without even saying goodbye. The morning sun entered the patio doors which he had left open as Annalise rubbed her eyes. She looked at the empty pillow again before noting the white paper which had been left on it. She had never dived so quickly to grab onto something as she did that paper. She read it over and over again, not knowing what to think or do.

_I'll always be there when you need me, Erik._

...

A/N: Fini!


End file.
